Kendo Club
by miji-chan
Summary: Modern AU. One day Kaoru encounters the new mysterious redhaired student after school at kendo practice. Afterwards, they start spending time together and Kaoru realizes he has many secrets, and that there is much more to him than meets the eye. KK
1. Chapter 1

Kendo Club

Ch 1

Hello everyone and welcome to my newest AU RK fanfic!!

For those of you who have been here before, please don't panic if you notice things are different. I merely edited the chapter more to my liking.

For those of you who are new, welcome! And thank you for taking the time to read my story! At the end if you feel so inclined, please review!

And now, without further ado... the first chapter of Kendo Club!

* * *

Kaoru adjusted the ties on her sweatpants and tugged once more on her shirt to get it in place. She pulled on her socks, again, making sure they weren't wrinkled, then tied her hair back into a high ponytail and walked out of the changing room, head held high.

That is, until she was walking along the hallway leading to the training room, and heard an argument going on.

"-can't do that, baka deshi."

"I told you not to call me that Hiko."

Kaoru recognized the first voice as belonging to her kendo teacher, Hiko Seijuro. But she didn't recognize the second voice at all, although Hiko had called them 'baka deshi,' whatever that meant.

"And when have I ever listened to you?" Hiko asked the other snarkily.

There was a soft laugh. "Never, that I know of."

"Exactly."

Silence followed their conversation and Kaoru held her breath, worried that Hiko had somehow realized she was standing nearby, hidden by the shadows.

"So, are you done complaining now?"

There was a quiet "yes" and then nothing but silence.

Suddenly she heard a sudden rustle of clothes and soon after the thud of wood on wood repeated several times. Kaoru held her breath until there was a surprised shout and the thud of someone falling to the floor. Worried, Kaoru came out of her hiding spot and stood in the doorway to see her kendo teacher standing above someone holding a shinai to their throat. She leaned forward, peering closer at the person lying on the floor, but didn't recognize them until she caught a glimpse of long, red hair.

"Kenshin!" Kaoru rushed forward until she was standing next to the red haired person. He turned to look at her, Kaoru's sapphire meeting his lavender.

"Miss Kaoru!" Kenshin exclaimed in surprise.

Hiko looked over at her and lowered his shinai slightly. "You know Kaoru, Kenshin?"

Kenshin glared at Hiko, then took Kaoru's proffered hand and let her help him to his feet. "Yes."

"Well at least you have better manners then this brat." Hiko scowled, lowering his shinai completely.

Kaoru glanced over at Kenshin, worried. "Are you alright Himura-san?"

Kenshin gently brushed his clothes off and smiled at her. "I'm fine Miss Kaoru, thank you."

Hiko rolled his eyes, "Don't be so polite Kenshin, you'll scare the poor girl."

"But that's the only way I know to counter your bitterness Hiko." Kenshin responded, and turned to Kaoru.

Hiko waved his hand at the boy in a shooing motion. "Get out of my sight before I pommel you with something."

"I didn't know you knew kendo Himura, otherwise I would've asked you to join us." Kaoru said, hoping he would stay.

The red-head waved a hand at her, "No need for such formality Miss Kaoru, please call me Kenshin." His smile faltered, "As for joining your club, Hiko has already asked me many times. I'm sorry, but I must once again decline."

"Are you sure? I'm positive that everyone would love for you to join." Kaoru pressed, but Kenshin shook his head.

"I'm sorry Miss Kaoru, but I can't. Thank you for your offer," Kenshin apologized. "I'm afraid I have to leave, but I look forward to seeing you at school tomorrow. Goodbye," then he walked across the room towards the open door.

"Idiot. Just because of his past, it doesn't mean he can't-" Hiko grumbled under his breath. Then he looked up and he yelled across the room, "Baka deshi! Shinai!"

At his shout Kenshin paused and turned to look at the shinai he was holding. Then in one quick, fluid motion he raised his arm and threw the shinai backwards over his shoulder. Then, as if nothing had happened, he continued walking and was soon lost within the shadows outside the practice room.

Kaoru stared after the boy for several seconds before turning to see Hiko weighing the shinai Kenshin had thrown thoughtfully in his hand.

"Baka needs to work on his aim." Hiko commented, then gently set the used shinai on the ground next to him. He turned to look at Kaoru, surprise apparent on his usually stoic features. "Why are you here Kaoru, didn't you hear the announcement?"

Kaoru stared blankly at him. "What announcement?"

Hiko shook his head. "I guess you didn't then. There was an announcement on the loudspeaker after school that practice was canceled for today," he explained slowly.

"So that's why no one is here! I was wondering about that." Kaoru said brightly, smiling.

"Yes, that's why. Now I think it's time for you to be going home, since I'm leaving now as well." Hiko instructed, pointing towards the door.

Kaoru sighed. "Alright, I suppose I do have-"

A sudden burst of fast music stopped her in mid-sentence. Hiko swore under his breath, rushed over to a bag off to one side of the room and began rummaging through it.

After the third repetition of the tune Hiko finally found a cell phone and snapped it open. "Hello?" He answered irritably. A soft voice answered him. "Hello Shishou."

"Baka, you changed my ring tone didn't you?"

There was soft, amused laugh. "Yes."

"For that we'll spar at sunrise tomorrow as punishment." Hiko declared, which was accompanied by a groan from the other end. "Don't complain! I told you not to touch my phone, but you went behind my back and did anyway."

A brief pause of silence occurred before a polite, "Yes Shishou," broke it. "But I won't be held responsible if I fall asleep in class tomorrow."

"Nonsense." Hiko scoffed. "You need more endurance, this will be good for you."

"Yes Shishou." The person sighed softly.

"Is that all you can say?"

"No Shishou."

Hiko removed the phone from his ear and glared at it. Then he put it back to his ear and asked, "Why did you call, this is costing me money."

"Because I'm making dinner and wondered how you'll be home," he told Hiko amusedly.

"Well, why didn't you tell me sooner!" Hiko exclaimed and snapped the phone shut again. Then he picked up the clothes beside the bag and quickly stuffed them into it.

"Who was that?" Kaoru asked curiously.

"Kenshin." Hiko responded shortly. "He's home and is making dinner. You have to leave now, alright?"

"Okay, you don't have to worry about me!" Kaoru said, waving her hand.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then." Hiko told her, as he shepherded her to the door and walked outside, then closed and locked it behind them.

As he rushed away to the parking lot Kaoru shook her head amusedly and began walking down the sidewalk in the other direction, towards her home.

* * *

Well there's not much to comment on just yet, so I suppose I'll just say "thank you for reading!" and "please review!"

See you next chapter!

- mijichan ;)


	2. Chapter 2

**Kendo Club**

Ch 2 Part 1

Hey everyone! Sry this took me so long, but my writing schedule's been a little 'off'' lately. Alright, this is the FIRST part of Ch 2. The second part will come as soon as I'm done writing it. Hopefull this weekend. ;) Meanwhile... please read and review!

* * *

The next morning Kaoru walked through the school doors to be met with the call of 'Kao-chan!' from her friend Sano. She looked around her to see Sano sitting on the bottom step of the stairs leading to the main office and classrooms down the halls on either side.

Kaoru smiled, waved and walked over to him. "Hey Sano, what's up? Where's your girlfriend." She teased, smiling when Sano blushed and protested, "She's not my girlfriend, she's my girl _friend_."

"Mm hmm." Kaoru commented disbelievingly, then turned to greet two more of her friends as they walked over. "Hi Misao, Aohsi."

"Kaoru!" shouted the small, hyper black-haired girl as she ran over and hugged Kaoru tightly.

"Misao, you'll choke Kaoru if your not careful." Aoshi commented, separating them with a small push on opposite shoulders. Afterwards Misao moved to Aoshi's side, keeping a close watch on the crowds of students moving past them.

Kaoru opened her mouth to ask Sano something about homework when she caught a glimpse of flaming red hair coming quickly towards their group. "Kenshin! Over here!" She called, raising an arm to wave at him.

The red-head looked up, then smiled shyly at her to show his recognition. He then came towards them to stop at Kaoru's side, smile and nod his head.

"How are you Kenshin?" Kaoru asked, glancing towards her friends to notice them looking oddly at Kenshin. She glared at them then turned back to smile again.

"Fine, thank you Miss Kaoru." Kenshin answered, and then silently glanced over at his unnamed companions.

"Oh, silly me." Kaoru exclaimed once she noticed, "here, let me introduce you." She put a hand on Kenshins shoulder, vaguely noticing when he stiffened under her touch. Kaoru pointed at each of her friends in turn. "That's Sano Sagara, short for Sanosuke. Watch out for him, he has a sharp mouth. His girlfriend Megumi should be around here somewhere as well. They usually don't leave each others side." Kaoru teased and was rewarded when Kenshin gave a small smile. Enheartened she continued, "The short, currently chattering girl is Misao Makimachi. Never give her coffee or sugar at the same time, you'll get a migraine as quick as you can say 'caffeine.'" Kenshin smiled again, nodding when Misao took a breath to call his name cheerfully. "Next to her is her boyfriend Aoshi Shinomori. He's quiet almost all of the time, but makes it up with his skills at Kendo."

Kenshin's face paled slightly but he managed to smile and nod. "Hello, its nice to meet all of you."

Sano smiled back, picking his teeth with the ever-present toothpick. "Kenshin right?"

"Yes."

Suddenly the first bell rang, causing them to jump slightly at the loud chimes. They then noticed that they were the only ones left near the stairway, everyone else had already departed to their classes.

"I suppose we should get to our classes." Aoshi suggested as calmly as ever.

Sano laughed. "Yeah, weasel and Jou-chan don't want to be late for their classes again. They don't want to get their first ever detention."

Misao glared at him, "Listen, rooster head, just 'cause your late all the time doesn't mean I, or Kaoru, will be." She grabbed Aoshi's hand and gently led him away, alternating between chatting to her boyfriend and glaring at Sano over her shoulder.

"We should go too Kenshin, you don't want to be late to your first class." Kaoru said looking worriedly up at the clock.

"Where are you two going?" Sano asked as he carelessly tossed the toothpick away.

"History. You?" Kaoru answered, after glancing at Kenshins schedule.

Sano grimaced. "Health." He stood up. "Alright, I'm going. See ya later." Sano waved and walked away, casually turning and walking down the right hand hallway.

"Come on Kenshin, we have to hurry!" Kaoru exclaimed worriedly, grabbing his wrist and starting to run down the hall, with the red-head running next to her easily keeping up.

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They stopped inside the history room just as the bell rang, being saved from a near detention, or tardy mark. Together they let out sighs of relief, then looked around the room to realize that the teacher wasn't even there.

"We're lucky, Mr. Hajime usually punishes late students." Kaoru told Kenshin as she guided him through the jungle of desks, filled with loudly gossiping students, to two seats arranged next to each other in the back of the room.

Just as Kaoru finished taking out her notebook and history book and then began to arrange them on the desk, the teacher walked through the door, frowning angrily as he walked over to set his briefcase on the chair by his desk.

"Saito." Kenshin whispered, his face paling drastically as his fingers clutched desperately at the edge of his desk. Kaoru glanced over at him worriedly, whispering as Hajime began talking. "Kenshin, are you alright?"

He glanced over at her and Kaoru noticed with surprise that his eyes were now violet, with sparks of amber flickering in them. "I'm sorry Kaoru, what did you say?"

She patiently repeated her question and Kenshin forced himself to smile as he answered. "Yes, thank you." Kaoru nodded and then turned back to listen to Mr. Hajime, worried about Kenshins sudden distantness.

* * *

Saito's POV 

I smirked at the students groans that accompanied my orders for them to get out their notebooks to take some notes. What did they expect from this class, there's notes almost every class and they've already been here for half a year. Miss Kamiya of course already had her notebook out and pencil ready. But I wondered if she was being a suck-up or was just very organized.

"Alright, I'll take attendance while you get out your notebooks." I told them, then walked over to my desk and took out my teacher's handbook to then open it to the correct page. Glancing up at the class I noticed only a few students had done as I asked. "_Now!_" I barked, they didn't used to call me a wolf for no reason, then smirked again as most of them jumped and began scrambling for their things.

As I scanned down the list, checking people off for being present, I read a name that I hadn't heard in a while, _Himura Kenshin_. 'So you came back Battousai, but why, for _revenge_?' I thought darkly, scanning the room for the familiar figure until I saw the familiar flaming hair hiding at the back of the room.

* * *

Kenshin's POV 

My mind is racing, why Saito? Why now, just when I had just begun to recover from my past. When Miss Kaoru spoke to me and I turned to look at her, I noticed the sudden worry in her eyes and realized that my eyes must have turned amber.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down so my eyes would go back to normal. Just when I had managed to calm myself down enough to stop worrying, Saito called my name.

"I understand we have a new student joining us. Himura Kenshin will you stand please?"

I swallowed and replaced my mask again then forced myself to stand. 'I spoke too soon.' I thought annoyed.

"You are Himura Kenshin?" Saito asked. '_Yes, of course you idiot, do you really have to ask?_' I thought sarcastically and answered, "Yes, sir."

"I see. And I suppose you're new to town as well?" _Duh_.

"Yes sir."

Saito scowled at me and I had to force myself not to smile.

"Don't call me sir, my name is _Mr. Hajime_." He spoke slowly, as if I was slow. _Idiot_.

"I'm sorry Mr. Hajime. I guess I was brought up too polite for my own good." At my remark there were laughs from the rest of the class, quickly hushed when Saito scowed darkly at me. A scowl that could easily compare to the sharpness of his sword. I smiled back at him.

"Sit down." He growled. When I had done so he calmly rolled the cart to the front of the room, masking his emotions, but he gave himself away when he slammed an overhead on top of the projector and turned it own with a slam of his hand.

I smirked, glad to have been able to get through to Saito and slouched in my seat, supposedly absorbing the lesson on, what else, World War I.

* * *

There were five minutes left in class, and no one was paying attention to the teacher. Saito had been trying to get the students to settle down for the past ten minutes, and was only now giving up. This time persistence _didn't_ pay off so he settled on just giving them the homework. 

"Alright, for next class read the next section and do an outline!" Saito yelled over the chaos and talking from the class. "Himura, see me after class!"

Kaoru turned to Kenshin and asked uneasily, "Will you be alright Kenshin? Do you want me to stay after with you?"

Kenshin smiled, but shook his head. "Thank you for your offer Kaoru but please don't worry, I'll be fine."

She smiled, but was obviously still worried about him. "Alright." Kaoru forced herself to say.

"What class do you have next?" Kaoru asked, scanning Kenshins schedule after he wordlessly handed it over to her. "Ah, chemistry with Ms. Kinswi. I have her too. Don't worry, she might be a little strict but other then that she's a wonderful teacher."

Kenshin smiled at her, but then the bell chimed and the volume rose even higher as the students picked up their belongings and joined the rush to get out of the door. Kaoru smiled reassuringly at Kenshin, picked her things up and joined the crowd, then she was gone.

Kenshin slowly refolded his schedule, put it back in his pocket and made his way up to the front where Saito was standing, purposefully avoiding eye contact with his new teacher. Then Kenshin stopped in front of Saito, silently gazing at the floor.

Saito smirked at him. "It's wonderful to see you again Battousai." He emphasized the name at which Kenshin's head jerked up to glare at him with a cold amber stare.

"Don't call me that. I don't go by that name anymore." Kenshin told him with an icy tone. Saito smirked at him again.

"Of course not, now that you're slower and older then before." He teased, causing Kenshin to glare coldly at him again.

"What do you want?" Kenshin asked coldly, turning to look out the window.

"To warn you." Saito said simply, and took out a cigarette, lit it and began smoking.

"You know that there's a no smoking rule at this school?" Kenshin asked, looking warily at the cigarette.

"Yes, but what can they do to me?" Saito smirked.

Kenshin rolled his eyes. "Oh, let's see. They could _fire_ you." He told Saito sarcastically, meeting his teachers eyes and then looking away again.

"No they couldn't." Saito scoffed. The bell to start the next class rang, causing them both to look up at the clock. "You had better go to your next class, but you'll need a pass."

"You said you wanted to warn me about something." Kenshin reminded him, adjusting the position of the books under his arm.

Saito took a draw on his cigarette. "Right." He paused and there was an awkward silence.

"So?" Kenshin prodded the other impatiently.

"Patience Battousai, patience." Saito told him, still smoking.

Kenshin scowled at him. "What do you students think about your disgusting habit?"

"I don't smoke in front of them." Saito informed him, then took the cigarette out of his mouth and dipped it in a glass of water on his desk. "As I was saying, I wanted to warn you to watch your back. Old enemies of yours are still around town and they want revenge for your past deeds." Saito said, then threw the cigarette into the trash bin. "So keep a close tab on your friends, but don't do anything to make them suspicious." Then Saito did a rare thing, he _smiled_. "But why am I telling you this, you already know all about this type of thing. What was it someone famous said? 'Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer'? That's good advice for your situation."

"I'll keep that in mind." Kenshin looked around, "Don't you have a class now?"

Saito shook his head. "No. I have third hour free. But _you_ don't." He moved to stand in front of his desk, ripped a piece of paper off of something and scribbled a note on it. After Saito handed it to Kenshin with a smirk.

Kenshin took it and quickly read the message. 'Please excuse Himura Kenshin for being late. I needed to talk to him about a certain matter. Saito Hajime.' He glanced back up at Saito.

"What class are you supposed to be in now?" Saito asked, looking at the clock once more.

"Chemistry." Kenshin answered, remembering what Kaoru had told him.

"Turn left out the door, go down the hall, and down the stairs. It's the room at the end. Your teacher is Ms. Kwinski." Saito directed Kenshin, then turned absently back to his desk.

Kenshin nodded, gripped the piece of paper tightly in his hand and walked to the door. Just before he went out Kenshin paused in the doorway. "Saito," he paused before continuing quietly, "thank you, for your warning I mean." Then Kenshin quickly left and walked down the hall, following Saito's directions.

"Your welcome Battousai." Saito quietly told the empty room.

* * *

Okay, well thats Ch 2 part one. So... how was it? Good I hope. A lot of work went into it. Of course I already knew what I wanted to write... but still. And the same goes for Part 2 Ch 2. I know what I'm going to write... I just have to write it.

I want you all to know that I did extra research on this chapter... not really. but did you like Saito's entrance? I like him, although he can be a bit annoying at times... all he does is smirk! (Like in this fanfic. oops.) But yeah, more action coming soon. I promise.

To my reviewers:

FIVE REVIEWS FOR MY FIRST CHAPTER!

You do not know how HAPPY you guys made me! Thank you thank you thank you!

Yanikei: Thanks, I'm glad you think so. And I hope to keep this up.

Laegdin: I guess I will. And yeah, I hoped people would like that combo. As for the bickering between Hiko and Kenshin, I always enjoy that stuff. And the ring tone... umm idk. probably 'we are the champions' or something. Great and I hope this did the job!

Wolven: I'm glad you liked it. And appreciated the Hiko/Kenshin moment, I enjoy those. ) Thanks for all the compliments. Actually the rigntone thing was a spur of the moment thing. And please continue reading!

gabyhyatt: Thanks. Please continue the reading and reviewing... I appreciate it! Muchas gracias!

Gypsy: thanks! I promise to!

* * *

Well thats all for now! I promise not to be too long with the next chapter. And i hope you guys enjoy it! See y'all soon.

-miji-chan


	3. Chapter 3

Kendo Club

Ch 2 pt 2

Hello again everyone! And welcome to Ch 2 pt 2 of this fic. I hope you all enjoy it... and don't forget to read and review! (More at the end)

* * *

Kenshin opened the door to the chemistry room, causing all the students, except those who were asleep, to turn and look at him as he made his way through the left hand aisle and up to the raised platform where the teacher was standing, currently staring confusedly at him. (That was all _one_ sentence! ;))

Kensin unfolded the note from Saito and handed it to Ms. Kwinski as he stepped up onto the platform. "I'm sorry I was late, but Mr. Hajime wanted to talk with me."

Ms. Kwinski looked at him, more like stared actually, then took the note from him and began to read it.

As Kenshin waited for the teacher he took the liberty of glancing around the classroom. First he saw Kaoru sitting in the back row of desks. When she noticed him looking at her Kaoru smiled slyly at him and rolled her eyes towards the person next to her. Kenshin followed her gaze and saw Sano sitting there, his head resting against the wall and eyes closed, obviously asleep. He nearly smiled at the sight, then caught himself quickly.

"Himura Kenshin, hmm? You're the new student I was expecting then. You can have a seat next to Miss Kamiya. Kaoru raise your hand please." Ms Kwinski said, pointing at where Kaoru was sitting and Kaoru obediently raised her hand as the teacher had asked.

Kenshin nodded, stepped downa nd made his way across the room, down a aisle and slid quickly into the seat next to Kaoru. The teacher, after seeing Kenshin seated, began class again, talking about something no one was really interested in, those dread genetics.

* * *

-Kenshins POV- 

Now I knew why so many of my classmates had been sleeping when I came in. Ms Kwinski's voice was very hard to listen to for a prolonged amount of time.

Once again I fought to keep my eyes open. I was very tired from Shishou and mine sunrise spar, yawning I pledged that I would never get up that early again, especially on a school morning. This time I couldn't keep my eyes open and felt them close on their own, then fell into a restless dream as my chin rested down on the palm of my right hand and my long bangs shifted to cover my eyes.

* * *

-Kenshins Dream- 

I was standing in the alley again, it was early dawn. All around me were people fighting, the clashes of swords, booming of guns and painful screams filled the air. Dead bodies, covered with blood were laying all over the road. Everything was covered in blood.

Looking down I saw that even my sword, a katana, was covered, the same with my hands when I looked at them as well. 'No, not like this. Not like this.' I thought desperately, turning so that I could see the whole scene before me.

Dead bodies, and blood flowing from them as far as my eyes could see. That was what I was surrounded by.

There was some other member of our group running towards me, yelling something that I couldn't hear. When he came close enough I realized he was calling my name.

"_Himura!_"

"Himura!"

* * *

"Mr. Himura!" Ms Kwinski shouted across the room. When Kenshin didn't answer she sighed, reached behind her and picked up the piece of white chalk she had been using a few minutes earlier. She yelled his name again and then threw the chalk at him, planning for it to hit him on the forehead and therefore wake him up. 

It seemed like her plan had succeeded when all of a sudden Kenshins head rose, his eyes opened and then the chalk was a foot or so away from him when Kenshins left hand moved and he caught the chalk neatly between his index and middle fingers.

Everyone gasped as Kenshin smiled, took the chalk out from between his fingers and handed it to Ms Kwinski who had walked up and stopped beside his desk.

As she took the chalk from him Ms Kwinski remarked, "I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't sleep during my class Himura."

Kenshin bit back a snappy retort that many other students besides him had fallen asleep, but said instead, "I'm sorry Ms Kwinski. It won't happen again." He smiled charmingly at her.  
Ms Kwinski snapped, "It had better not." Then turned and walked back p to the platform. She began teaching again, glaring over at Kenshin occasionally. He sighed, he was only halfway through his first day of school and already two of his teachers didn't like him.

* * *

The bell chimed again and everyone gathered their things and moved as quickly as they could to the door. Over the noise Ms Kwinski yelled, "Homework is to do page 73 in your handbook!" 

As they joined the crowd by the door Kenshin asked Kaoru, "So what do we have next?"

Kaoru looked over the schedule he handed to her. "Oh great! You have lunch with all of us! We'd better hurry or we might not get a table." She grabbed his hand as they pushed their way through the door and began weaving their way through the crowd.

Of course Kenshin, being smaller and more 'agile' then Kaoru, managed to get to his locker and more quickly then Kaoru.

He glanced at his schedule. 'Okay, the locker number 421 is right. Then, the combo is 36-13-7.' Kenshin spun the dial on his locker to the appropriate numbers, pulled up on the handle and managed to open his locker, on his first try. He unceremoniously dumped his books and other things into the bottom, then was about to close it again when his sharp eyes noticed a folded piece of paper pierced onto one of the hooks. 'What the…" Kenshin plucked it off the end and unfolded it.

_Battousai-_

_Meet me behind the gym right after school. Shishio wants to talk to you. Don't skip the meeting or you will be drastically punished. This is your welcome back present._

_Soujiro_

Kenshin crumpled up the paper and jammed it into his pocket. He slammed the door shut and rested his head against it, trying to calm himself.

"Kenshin?"

He turned his head slightly to peer at Kaoru through his long bangs. She looked worried about him again. "I'm fine Miss Kaoru." Kenshin reassured her, forcing himself to smile.

She didn't look convinced, but took his hand and led him up the hall, down the stairs and into the already noisy and crowded lunchroom. Kaoru stopped just past the first row of table to look around the lunch room trying to spot Sano, while still firmly holding Kenshins hand.

"Kao-chan!" came Sano's familiar call and Kaoru looked again to see him sitting at one of the long, rectangular tables near the lunch line, with Megumi and Aoshi sitting on either side of him and Misao across from her boyfriend.

Kaoru grinned and pulled Kenshin along as she walked over to them. "Hey guys, look who I brought along." She pointed at Kenshin who remained silent.

Sano, Misao and Aoshi greeted him but Megumi raised her eyebrows and chuckled maniacally. (Like she usually does, with the little fox ears sticking up on her head).

"Oh ho ho! Is this your new boyfriend Kaoru? He's quite a catch." She winked flirtatiously at Kenshin who nodded and said quietly, "Miss Megumi."

Kaoru squeezed Kenshins hand and began walking away with him, telling her friends, "We're going to go get something to eat. Be right back."

Then she pulled Kenshin into the lunch line with her. There was an awkward silence as the people around them talked loudly, before Kaoru asked hesitantly, "What's the matter Kenshin? Ever since chemistry ended, you've seemed down. Are you alright?"

She frowned as Kenshin winced and pulled his hand away from hers. He turned away to look at something in the distance, "Like I've said before, I'm fine Miss Kaoru. Please stop asking." He told her sternly.

Kaoru frowned, "But-"

"No buts." Kenshin shook his head and didn't take any of her following baits to start a conversation.

Kaoru half-heartedly tried to keep up her side of the conservation, but it soon died out. For one second she had seen his mask slip and saw the anger, followed by deep sorrow cross his eyes before his face became expressionless again. And, if she hadn't been mistaken, Kenshin's eyes had turned amber again, like they had been in Mr Hajime's class.

They went through the lunch line, got their food and paid for it, in silence. Walking back to the table where everyone else was sitting they found Sano what had happened in Chemistry class to an interested Misao and Megumi, and a bored looking Aoshi.

Kaoru sat next to Misao, and Kenshin next to Kaoru as Sano said, "So Ms Kwinski was droning on about genetics, I was sleeping, when all of a sudden Kwinski starts shouting Kenshin here's name. Well I woke up then and looked over at him to see Kenshin sleeping."

"You fell asleep in Chemistry?" Aoshi asked Kenshin, who blushed and eyes returned to violet.

"Oro…"

"Yeah, and in his first class of Chem too." Sano confirmed, slapping Kenshin on the shoulder. "Good job Kenshin."

"So, what happened next?" Misao asked, leaning forward, chin on her hands, interestedly.

"Oh right. Well after saying his name a few times, and Kenshin not responding, you must have been out of it," Sano told Kenshin, "_She throws a piece of chalk at him_!"

"No!" Misao shouted unbelievably, even more interested now, glancing over at Kenshin who was eating his cheeseburger (yes, this is americanilized (I made that up)) trying to ignore the others.

"Uh huh." Sano nodded eagerly. "But this is the cool thing. The chalk was a foot or so away from Kenshin when all of a sudden he wakes up, and," he paused for emphasis, "_caught the chalk right between his fingers_!" Sano indicated on his own hand just which two fingers Kenshin had used.

"Wow!" Misao said admiringly. (In this fic she isn't a ninja so she can't do things like that) and her eyes got really large and dreamy. "How did you _do_ that Kenshin?"

Kenshin shrugged, "It was just reflexes." Then took another bite of his cheeseburger.

"I'm glad to know that you haven't forgotten _everything_ I've taught you baka deshi." A new voice said sarcastically from behind Sano, Aoshi and Megumi.

"Shishou!" Kenshin croaked, choking on his burger. He quickly drank the rest of his milk. "What are you doing here?"

Hiko rolled his eyes. "I _work_ here baka." Kenshin glared at him.

"Hi Mr Hiko!" Sano and Misao greeted the tall man simultaneously, and then laughed at themselves. Kaoru and Aoshi just nodded at him.

"Will all of you be at practice today?" Hiko asked sternly, causing the others to close their mouths and nod. Except for Kenshin.

"And we'll drag Kenshin along with us, if he can stay awake that long." Sano laughed. "Although after you fell asleep in Chemistry, I'm not so sure." He said, wrapping an arm around Kenshins shoulders.

"You fell asleep in class?" Hiko asked Kenshin, staring coldly at him. The others shivered but Kenshin stared back and answered.

"Yes."

"You baka, why did you do that?" Hiko narrowed his eyes at his apprentice and was near to raising his voice, except that he didn't.

"Oh, lets see." Kenshin drawled sarcastically. "Maybe because you made me wake up at the crack of dawn to have a spar, which I lost and tired me, making me very tired _and_ sleepy." His tone was like ice. "Could that _possibly_ be why?"

Hiko and Kenshin had a glaring contest lasting several minutes during which neither of them moved or said anything, Hiko's stern dark brown meeting Kenshin's cold amber. (Yes, their amber again)

Finally, Hiko was the one who finished the contest. "That might be so, but it gives you no right to fall asleep in your classes."

Kenshin muttered something under his breath which sounded very much like, "Tyrant," and, "egotistic."

Hiko glared at him. "Very well baka deshi. For your insults and lack of manners you will come to kendo practice after school _and_ spar with me. _If_ you refuse, I will wake you up every day at dawn to spar until you gain some endurance and stop falling sleep in class. _Do you understand?_"

Kenshin glared fiercely at his master, but managed to rein in his temper enough to answer, "Yes Shishou." Then muttered quietly under his breath, "Slave-driver."

Hiko nodded, he hadn't heard Kenshins last comment, "Good, and you had better be there." He turned to the rest of the people at the table. "Miss Kamiya, Makimachi. Mr Shinomori, Sagara." Hiko paused, "Baka deshi."

As his master turned to walk away, Kenshin called sweetly, "Oh Shishou, I have something that might interest you."

Hiko turned back. "And what is that?"

"This." Kenshin took the crumpled note out of his pocket and, in one swift motion, flicked it over Sano's head to his master who caught it easily.

Hiko swiftly read the note and crumpled it into a ball in his fist. "We'll talk about this later." He informed Kenshin, then walked away, his face set like stone.

Sano looked curiously at Kenshin. "What was that about Kenshin?"

Kenshin glanced up at him. "It wasn't anything really. Shishou and I don't get along very well."

"Mmm." Sano lazily leaned back in his chair. "Alright then."

Misao broke the following awkward silence by saying cheerfully. "So what do you have next Himura?"

Looking up at her Kenshin answered quietly, "English I think. With Mrs. Joshnon."

Sano grinned, "Great! I have her too." The bell started chiming, "Uh oh, we'd better go. That means we only have eight minutes."

Kenshin nodded, then quickly stood up to dispose of his lunch. When he was supposedly out of earshot, Sano leaned in towards Kaoru.

"So what was that really about?"

Kaoru shook her head. "I'm not sure. I knew Hiko and Kenshin didn't get along, but Kenshins acting weird. Ever since History class when he saw Mr. Hajime."

Sano looked confused. "What about Hajime?"

"Once again, I don't know. He just became pale and acted panicky after it." Kaoru explained.

"Weird, but-" Sano stopped as Kenshin came back to their table. His face still expressionless, and eyes lowered.

"Are you coming to class Sano? We don't want to be late." Kenshin asked, gesturing slightly towards the door.

Sano waved a hand. "Nah, you go ahead. I'll be there on time, just you wait and see."

Kenshin smiled slightly. "Alright, I'll see you later." He raised a hand in farewell and walked towards the stairs.

Once he was through the doorway Kaoru turned to Sano, "but what?"

Megumi stood up and gripped Sano's arm. "I'm going to Math darling." She pecked him on the forehead. "See you later." She then walked away to the left up and other flight of stairs to her classroom.

"I'll leave as well." Aoshi added, standing up. Misao stood and clutched at his arm. "Ahhh, do you have to?"

He looked down at her, "Yes I do, and you should as well."

"Okay." She chirruped happily, took Aoshi's hand and then they walked out of the lunch room together.

"Well?" Kaoru asked Sano impatiently, rolling her eyes.

"It's nothing. Just," He paused thoughtfully (Sano _thinking_, no way! (Jk)), "Why would, how would, Kenshin know Hajime?"

Kaoru scoffed at this. "Yeah right, they obviously don't."

Sano shook his head. "No, they would have to. That's the only reason why Kenshin would react to seeing Hajime the way he did."

"Mm." Kaoru said, still not believing him, then looked away.

There was an odd pause as they reflected about Kenshin and Hajime's possible relationship (_no dirty thoughts!_).

Finally Sano asked, "Do you think there's something Kenshin isn't telling us?"

Kaoru looked back at him and said seriously, "I think there's a lot of important things Kenshin hasn't mentioned."

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Okay, did anyone else notice the extensive use of _italics_ in this chapter? Or is it just me? Probable just me. I hope you liked it. It was fun to write. And Ch 3 will be coming soon... I promise.

**Reviewers:**

tear Only two this time to my five for the first chapter... where did all of you go?

Ruroken: Im glad you liked it, and I promise i will continue updating regularly... as much as I can. jk.

Laegdin: Oh, well about the different Pov things, I dunno it was just kind of a spur of the moment thing and afterwards i liked how it turned out. It was mainly just to show how they reacted to seeing each other. Thats interesting he's your fav charecter and i suppose he does add a little _something_ to the story. Yes, he is kind of smug, and as for him teaching.. i just thought it would be an interesting idea.

* * *

Okay, now for... drumroll **Miji-chans guide to KC school**

This is where I explain the school im basing the school in this fic on, for all of those who found themselves confused.

Actually its based on my own school, high school, and the main chars are juniors, just like me. Heh heh. Alright.

On mondays, we have all seven classes in fourty minute periods with twenty minutes of free time between second and third period and one of three half hour lunches.

Tues/Thurs we have our even classes, periods 2, 4 and 6 for eighty mins with twenty five minutes of free time after second period and 'assembly' and 'advisor' afterwards. And again, one of three half hour lunches.

Wed/Fri we have odd classes, 1, 3, 5 and 7 with one of three half hour lunches.

_Quick guide to lunches_

Alright, we have three half hour lunches, 1st lunch, 2nd lunch or 3rd lunch appropriately named.

_1st lunch_ on mondays is after 3rd period, on tues/thurs after 'advisor' and wed/fri after 3rd period.

_2nd lunch _on mondays is halfway through 4th period, tues/thurs halfway through 4th period and wed/fri halfway through 5th period. 'Halfway through' means there's twenty/fourty mins of class - lunch- then another twenty/fourty minutes of class. I have no idea how this works, it just does.

_3rd lunch_ on mondays is after 5th period, tues/thurs after 4th period and wed/fri after 5th period

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There you go, did that help _at all? _I hope it did, and for anyone whos still confused, tell me and ill try again. And im going to use all three lunches so i hope that helps as well.

See you next chapter! Dont forget to review!

-miji-chan


	4. Chapter 4

**Kendo Club**

Ch 3

Here's the next chapter... sry it took me so long. But please read and review!

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The rest of the day went by fairly normally. Sano was late for English again, and received a detention. Class was boring as usual, and the students very talkative. Many of the girls ogled over Kenshin, who didn't pay any of them any attention. 

After that Kenshin had Spanish, and sat next to the very talkative Misao. She talked to him in English and Spanish until the teacher became annoyed and told Misao not to speak for the rest of the period in either language. Misao actually did as she was told and the remainder of the class was less eventful.

Finally the bell rang signaling the end of class and the school day. Everyone rushed to pick up their things and get out of the classroom. Misao grabbed Kenshins arm as he turned to leave.

Startled, Kenshin stopped and turned to her, his face still hidden under his bangs. "Miss Misao?"

She let go of his arm and stuttered, confused by his tone, "I, I was just wondering if, if you needed help finding the gym. For practice I mean."

"No thank you Miss Misao. I'm sure I'll be fine on my own." Kenshin politely refused, then used his speed to quickly exit the room. By the time Misao had blinked he was gone.

"That was weird." Misao commented, rubbing her head.

Kenshin sped down the hall and stairs, weaving in and out of the crowd. He stopped at his locker only long enough to throw his books inside and shut it again before continuing on his way to the gym, or more specifically, the back of the gym.

Besides his better judgment, he was going to meet Shishio and Soujiro. Kenshin knew he would be able to defend himself if they tried something, but hopefully he wouldn't have to use his sword.

By now, he was behind the gym where Soujiro was supposed to meet him. Kenshin stopped and leaned against the wall, slightly catching his breath. He closed his eyes and sank down onto the ground.

"Well, well, well. Look who decided to show up," chimed a familiar voice. Kenshin opened his eyes to see Soujiro walking towards him, continually smiling. He frowned, he never had been able to read Soujiro.

"I got your note." Kenshin told Soujiro who stopped in front of him and smiled.

"I see that. Shishio's waiting for us, and we don't want to upset him, now do we?" Soujiro informed the red-head and began walked back the way he had come.

"Of course not." Kenshin muttered sarcastically under his breath and followed the other down the alley.

The two men used their speed to run down the alley, easily keeping pace with each other. Then Soujiro began to slow down after they had run down the adjoining street and then up another, in front of the stairs leading to a modern, two-story building.

Soujiro walked up the stairs with Kenshin close at his heels. He nodded to the guards standing at the door, who nodded back and opened the door for them. "After you." Soujiro told Kenshin mock-courteously, waving him in.

Kenshin glared at him. "Thanks." And walked inside through the doorway, to stand in the dark entryway. Soujiro soon followed him.

"This way Battousai. Shishio's waiting for us." Soujiro reminded Kenshin, leading him down another hallway and into a brightly lit room.

"You didn't have to remind me, its not like I didn't hear you the first few times." Kenshin muttered softly.

"Well, well, well. Look who came to visit me." Shishio's voice called across the room, then laughed maniacally.

Kenshin paused in his survey of the room to look to the other end of the room where Shishio was lounging on a cushioned chair, with women on either side of him, massaging, cooing or feeding the man.

Kenshin smirked at Shishio's taste. "You always were a ladies man. But its not like I _wanted_ to come and see you."

Shishio laughed and waved a hand lazily at Kenshin. "Of course not. Now Battousai, why don't you come here so I can see you better."

Kenshin scowled at him, but walked forward until he was standing a few feet away from Shishio. Soujiro had mysteriously disappeared and reappeared standing next to his boss.

"Please leave us for awhile ladies; I have urgent business to take care of with Battousai here." Shishio told the women around him who stood up and obediently left the room by a hidden door. When they were gone, Shishio continued, "Now Battousai,"

"My _name_ is _Kenshin_, Himura Kenshin." (AKA _Bond, James_ Bond) He snapped, getting fed up with being called by his old name. Shishio smiled sweetly at him, causing Kenshin to scowl back.

"Of course, that's the name your going by now I believe." Shishio drawled. "But you'll never stop being the Battousai to us that knew you."

"I'd beg to differ." Kenshin retorted, glaring.

"Perhaps we should begin." Soujiro suggested, sensing a fight between the two other men. He moved to stand in-between them, still smiling.

Shishio smiled. "Yes, of course. We contacted you for a very important, pressing reason."

"And what is that?" Kenshin snapped angrily, his temper finally getting the better of him. His eyes had turned amber long ago in the conversation.

"There's someone new in town who's been asking around for you. We, I, expect that they'll be nothing but trouble for you, and us, so, we're proposing that we make a temporary truce to get rid of them." Shishio leaned back in his chair. "What would you think of that?" (Oh how tempting to make him say, 'What say you to that?' I love Pirates. sigh)

At Kendo practice Kaoru, Sano and Misao were worried when Kenshin didn't turn up with the rest of the members after the bell had rang.

They had gathered together to brainstorm reasons why Kenshin hadn't come. Misao had suggested that perhaps he had been kidnapped by someone when Hiko walked through the gym doors and loudly ordered them to grab their shinai and form a line against the wall.

For the rest of practice Hiko had them practice basic movements and techniques. They were soon partnered up and told to attack or defend themselves. One member, a freshman made the mistake of complaining that he was bored and was punished by being ordered to do 300 extra strokes. He did so with humiliation and while blushing profusely.

After forty-five minutes of this Hiko announced the end of practice and told everyone to put away their shinai and go clean up.

Kaoru, Sano and Misao took this as an opportunity to interrogate Hiko about Kenshins whereabouts.

"Hiko-sensei? What happened to Kenshin? He said he would meet us here after school." Kaoru asked, interrupting Hiko from packing his gym bag.

"How should I know?" Hiko growled, standing up.

"But you two seemed to know each other well, or it seemed that way at lunch, so we thought that you would." Misao quickly reasoned.

"Well I don't. Actually I-" Hiko began but was interrupted when Kaoru's watch alarm went off.

"Oh no! I have to go pick up Yahiko!" Kaoru announced worriedly. (Yes, their siblings in this fic) "See you later!" She called as she picked up her back pack and sped out the door.

"Bye Kao-chan!" Sano called. "See you later Kaoru!" Misao added.

Aoshi turned to Hiko. "So what do you really know about where Himura is?" He asked quietly.

Hiko sighed. "I told you already, I don't know where the baka is. But you shouldn't be worried, Kenshin can take care if himself."

Then the doors to the gym opened and Sano, Misao, Aoshi and Hiko, the only one's left in they gym, turned to see who it was.

Hiko, who had the best eyesight and could sense ki, noticed first. "Or perhaps not." He whispered, noticing how angry Kenshin's ki felt.

"There he is, Kenshin!" Sano called happily and waved. Misao began to run over to him when Aohsi caught her by her braid and ordered, "Wait."

Hiko scowled. "Let's see." He studied Kenshin from where the teen had stopped halfway across the gym, then crossed the room to take two katanas from their places on the wall.

"Baka deshi." Hiko called loudly, then threw one of the katanas to Kenshin whose head rose slightly and then he caught it by the middle of the sheath.

"Hiko-sensei?" Misao asked quietly, watching as Kenshin slipped the sheath through a loop on his jeans and stood patiently, hand on the hilt. Hiko drew his sword, letting the sheath clatter to the ground.

They stood there, master and apprentice, each ready to strike but neither of them doing so.

Sano, impatient as he was, commented, "Why doesn't one of them move and strike already. They've been standing like that for ages."

Aoshi shook his head. "They won't strike until one gives the call. Neither of them want to make the first move. Instead they'll wait and study their opponent."

Sano laughed, "Are you the expert on this or something? I mean,"

But Aoshi held up a hand to quiet his friend and pointed over at the fighters. Kenshin, reacting to some unspoken command had unsheathed his sword by an inch or so, making it easier to draw.

"Ready baka deshi?" Hiko called, dropping into a ready stance. Kenshin nodded once, and then ran forward, drawing his sword as he neared his opponent. To the onlookers he was a blur as Kenshin striked at Hiko who easily blocked it, then began attacking himself. Kenshin had to quickly duck and dodge as Hiko combined two attacks, then moved to hit Kenshin in the side, but the red-head had already leapt into the air and landed lightly behind his master.

Hiko spun around and began strike using attack after attack causing Kenshin to have to continuously dodge and block his master's sword. Finally Kenshin began to grow bored of this and leapt into the air, ready to unleash a full-force head blow, but Hiko sensed his ki and easily dodged Kenshin's attack. In response, Kenshin curled into a defensive pose, making several showy flips in the air, then landed in front of his master.

Hiko swung at him in a frontal attack, which Kenshin blocked then suddenly had his feet swept out from under him when he miscalculated his master's attack and landed on his butt on the ground. He felt cold metal on his neck and looked up to see Hiko holding his sword at his neck, smirking down at him as usual.

"You're dead baka deshi." He told Kenshin smartly, then lowered his sword from his apprentices throat, allowing Kenshin to do a little flip that landed him back on his feet to stand up.

"Better baka?" Hiko asked as he took Kenshins resheathed sword.

Kenshin smiled. "Yes Shishou." He paused uncertainly, "Um… well, thanks Hiko."

Hiko smirked smugly but just resheathed his sword and replaced the two katanas in their places on the wall.

Meanwhile Sano and Misao, thoroughly impressed by the spar, had rushed forward and began commenting on how fast and agile Kenshin was.

"Wow Kenshin, that was amazing!" Sano heartily clapped him on the back causing Kenshin to cough and nearly tumble forwards.

"That was sooooo cool Himura!" Misao practically squealed. "You were so fast that I could barely see you!"

"You're so small and short, but your also very fast." Sano agreed, once again clapping Kenshin on the back.

"Where were you during practice?" Aoshi asked, breaking off Sano and Misao's comments and causing all three to turn and look at Kenshin.

"I'm sorry, what did you say Aoshi?" Kenshin asked politely, his smile not slipping at all through his panic.

"I said, 'where were you during practice?'" Aoshi repeated, slightly irritated.

Now Kenshins smile did slip, but he managed to calmly answer, "I was talking with an old acquaintance of mine and lost track of the time. I certainly didn't mean to miss practice." He finished, trying to sound apologetic.

"Ah." Aoshi commented, but Kenshin could tell from his ki that he didn't believe him.

"Stop interrogating him you three and go home." Hiko ordered, coming up behind them.

"Alright. C'mon guys, you heard the man." Sano instructed, hooking a finger at his friends. With only one backward glance, they picked up their things and left through the door.

Hiko turned to Kenshin, his eyes narrowed. "So what really happened after school with you?"

Kenshin shook his head. "Not here Shishou. We can talk about it at home. But not here."

"Fine. Let's go then." Hiko told Kenshin, slinging his bag over his shoulder and leading the red-head out of the gym by a heavy hand on his shoulder.

They were safely, and comfortably seated in Hiko's jeep before Hiko took the chance of asking Kenshin again what had happened.

"So…" He drew out the word and glanced sideways over at Kenshin as he turned the car on and pulled out of the parking lot.

"'So' what?" Kenshin asked innocently from his place in the passenger seat where he had brought his legs up to his chest and had his chin resting on his knees.

Hiko rolled his eyes and turned to point threateningly at Kenshin. "Don't you 'so what' me boy, you know perfectly well what I mean, and your not leaving this car until you give me an answer that I like." To prove his point he locked all the doors and windows in the car, and just to be sure, the trunk. (Hey, you never know!)

Kenshin felt even more caged after he heard the clicks of many simultaneous locks locking. He paused to try and find anyway out of telling Hiko, but when he found none Kenshin sighed and blew his hands off his face. "Fine. I'll tell you then."

Hiko nodded. "Good." Then honked his horn at a car that had pulled out in front of him. "Crazy teenagers." Hiko muttered to himself.

Kenshin smirked at his Shishou, Hiko never had a patient, safe driver. He also quietly thanked God for distracting Hiko, even if it was just for a few minutes.

"Well, are you going to tell me or not?" Hiko harshly demanded of Kenshin, once he had gotten his car, and temper, under control.

"Yes Master." He paused and blew his bangs out of his eyes again. "I met with Soujiro behind the gym after school, and he took me to see Shishio."

Hiko hissed angrily between his teeth. "You idiot, no wonder I call you a 'baka deshi,' you really are one. Did you ever stop to think that maybe you didn't have to meet with Soujiro?"

"Yes I did." Kenshin sighed, "but I realized that the consequences would be worse if I didn't at least talk with them." He glared over at his master. "I told you to stop calling me that."

Hiko stopped suddenly at a stoplight, slamming on the brakes. He turned, smirking, to look at Kenshin. "You do, but I won't ever listen to you. And you, always thinking about the consequences, just do something on the spur of the moment for once. You didn't think about the consequences when you left me and joined that gang did you?" When Kenshin didn't respond he continued, "What happened to the stubborn, mule-headed apprentice I used to have to deal with every day."

Kenshin sighed, then said softly, "Everything changed."

"Yes, because you made it change." Hiko argued pointedly, stopping again at a sign.

Kenshin rolled his eyes, but secretly agreed. Hiko understood this to mean that his companion didn't want to talk about it. "What else happened with Shishio and Soujiro?"

"Oh." Kenshin thought momentarily. "Well Shishio had ladies with him as usual, and insisted on calling me by my gang name, although I continually told him otherwise." He shook his head, smiling grimly. "I swear, that man's mentally imbalanced _and_ deaf. Anyways, Shishio said he had an important, pressing matter to talk with me about."

"And," Hiko pressed, "what was it?"

Kenshin hesitantly looked over at Hiko. "They said there's someone new in town who's been insistently asking around for me. So Shishio wanted to form a temporary truce between his group and me to get rid of the person."

"_WHAT!_" Hiko practically yelled, slamming on the brakes again and Kenshin braced himself against the impact. "Please tell me you said no." Hiko pleaded.

Kenshin shook his head. "Not exactly." Hiko turned to glare at him. "Then what _did_ you say?"

"That I'd think about it." Kenshin said, taking a deep breath before he did so.

Hiko shook his head. "_Idiot._" Then cursed when he noticed the light was green and the car behind theirs was tailgating them. "Why did you say that?"

"Because, I wanted to get out of there _alive._" Kenshin answered, curling himself further into a ball."

"Mmm." Hiko said, thinking about Kenshins excuse. "Fine, I suppose you had a right to do that."

Kenshin didn't answer and the rest of the drive was silent, except for Hiko's inaudible grumbling.

* * *

_Kenshin Himura, I have one question for you... Deal, or No Deal_ ?

I was sooooooo tempted to put that in, as well as the Mission Impossible theme song while they were sparing. But I didn't :(

Well, there's your next chapter, I hope you enjoyed. Please review! This is one of my top priorities so I'll be updating more often. So please stay tuned. Also I'm thinking of starting a fic about what would happen if Kenshin became 12 again. Please give me your opinion about such a fic. I would appreciate that.

To my reviewers:

Shuicki: Thanks.

ELLIE: Thanks, and I promise to. So you like Saito and Soujiro? Thats interesting. Oh right, pairings so far are KxK I'm not sure about everyone else.

Gypsy: Yay! I'm glad you liked it. Yes, i enjoy Kenshin vs Hiko humor. Thanks for the tip, I didnt realize that. :)

ruruken: Cool, I look forward to reading it. I',m glad you liked it. Yeah, I know it is very confusing and if they mix the schedule up its even more confusing... if thats poissible. Thanks, and I promise to.

Yanikei: Thats alright, but yeah, they are kinda annoying. They are, but ellipses? Right, so mine is confusing and urs isn't? Im sure. Thats alright, I'm glad you liked it. ;)

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Thats all for now! See ya next time! 

-miji-chan


	5. Chapter 5

**Kendo Club**

Ch 5

Hey everyone, welcome back! I hope you enjoy this, sry its so short but its important to the plot...really. Next chapter will be up soon. Thanks for reading... don't forget to read and reveiw!

* * *

The next few days at school went by fairly normally, except for Kenshin being moodier then usual and Hiko working the members of his club harder then he usually did. Kenshin did go to practice, only because Hiko had told him to, although he didn't practice with the club. 

That Friday after school Kenshin had to meet with Shishio again, much to his dislike (he was especially moody that day) and Kaoru had to work late at her job, as a waitress.

After school, before Kenshin met with Shishio and Soujiro, Hiko stopped him as he left the back door and pulled Kenshin aside.

"What do you want Shishou?" He asked, getting him a rap on the head from Hiko. "Ow!"

"Don't be smart with me baka. I just wanted to tell you to stay safe, don't lose your temper and keep this with you _at all times_. But don't use it unless you need to." Hiko told Kenshin, handing him a sheathed sword. Kenshin took it, slipped the sheath though a loop on his jeans and covered the hilt with his sweatshirt.

"Thanks Shishou," he nodded to the taller man, then ran down into the depths of the alley.

"Come home safe Kenshin." Hiko whispered as he watched his apprentice disappear around the corner.

Kaoru hung up her apron on the hook inside the kitchen and called goodbye to her manager. "See you later Tae!"

An older woman appeared in the opposite doorway, hair pulled back into a bun, carrying a dishcloth. She waved to Kaoru, smiling happily. "Alright Kaoru, I'll see you next time." Tae called, in her Texan drawl.

Kaoru waved back, readjusted her purse and walked out of the door, leaving it swinging behind her.

A few minutes after she left the restaurant, her cell phone rang. Kaoru dug it out of her purse and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Hey Kao-chan." Returned a familiar voice, sounding more mischievous then usual.

"Hi Sano." Kaoru said, sighing tiredly.

"Hey, what's the matter Kao-chan?" San asked worriedly.

Kaoru rubbed her eyes. "It's nothing, just tired. I just got off work."

"Wow, _now_? It's like _midnight_." Sano exclaimed.

"I know that Sano. Actually I'm on my way home to bed." Kaoru said as she turned another corner.

"Oh. Well I was going to see if you could do anything with me n' the gang. But it'd probably be better for you to sleep."

Kaoru laughed. "Yeah, sorry Sano. I'll have to take a rain check. But will I see you tomorrow?"

"Bet on it." Sano laughed then abruptly hung up.

Kaoru studied the phone for a while, then replaced it in her purse and continued walking.

All of a sudden a few blocks later she was grabbed roughly by the wrist and dragged into he dark alleyway. Kaoru tried to free her wrist, but it just made the person handle her more roughly.

"Lookie' what Ah found Chi." The man holding Kaoru said, then let go of her and pushed her to the wall. She hit it and slid down to sit against the wall on the filthy ground.

"Aa, she's a pretty one ain't she." Another man said, coming out of the shadows to stand in front of Kaoru, smiling wickedly and fingering a knife.

Kaoru's eyes widened at the sudden appearance of a knife and then desperately looked around the dark alley for any kind of weapon she could defend herself with. When none came in sight, Kaoru settled for the girlish reaction: scream.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Kenshin was halfway home when he heard someone scream nearby. As he paused Kenshin realized with a start that he knew the person. He took off as fast as he had ever run in his life to the place where the scream had originated. Even Hiko would have been proud of him.

After Kaoru had screamed, the man with the knife had pulled her up against the wall and roughly covered her mouth with his hand while gesturing with the knife.

The other man walked up to them and Kaoru found that all she could do was stare at him, terrified and helpless. "Ah wouldn't scream girlie. It won't 'elp yah none."

"Let her go," came a cold voice from within the shadows. The man with the knife paused with his threats and making light cuts on Kaoru's exposed legs and arms. The other shook his head. "It wasn't nothing." He then continued stroking Kaoru's cheeks and fingering her hair.

"Get your hands off of her," said the voice again, causing the man to cover her mouth. "Mph!" Kaoru shouted. "You betta shaddu up if ya know what's good for you." The guy with the knife threatened, flashing the weapon.

"I said, let go of her." The voice commanded, and a figure stepped out of the shadows with long, red hair.

"Mmm-mmph!" Kaoru shouted, but her words were muffled by the man's hand.

"What d'ya want runt?" The man asked, taking a step away from Kaoru while leering at Kenshin.

"For you to let her go." Kenshin answered simply, raising his right arm slightly so it hovered above the hilt of his hidden sword.

"Fat chance buddy. Now get of with ya and no on' 'll get hurt." The man with the knife dismissed Kenshin, turning back to Kaoru.

"I won't leave her." Kenshin stated, pulling his sweatshirt up so they could see his sword.

"Ah, lookee 'ere Chi, the runts got a sword," he laughed. "So you think y' can beat us?" The man asked, releasing Kaoru temporarily to point a finger at himself and his partner.

"Certainly." Kenshin replied, watching the man's movements carefully.

Kaoru took the opportunity to duck under the man's arm and run towards Kenshin. Noticing her escape, the other man hit her on the head with the hilt of his knife. She dropped to the ground, unconscious.

"Kaoru!" Kenshin exclaimed, but stayed where he was.

"Ah, the runt's gots the hots for our girl." The man leered, fingering his knife again.

"She's not your girl, and," he put a hand on the hilt of his sword and dropped into a sword stance, "you will pay for hurting her."

"A'right then, come show us whatcha got." The man said, smiling wickedly.

Kenshin smirked and rushed the man, drawing his sword as he did so. Before they could react he had knocked one unconscious with a hard blow to the head.

He paused to smirk at the other man. "What the-?" He had the time to say before Kenshin threw him at the wall with a hard blow to the ribs. The mans head hit the wall with a loud thud and then his unconscious body slid down the wall, leaving behind a trail of blood.

The sound of clapping caught Kenshin's attention and he spun around to see a third man step out of the shadows, smiling.

"Wonderful! That was absolutely wonderful." The man exclaimed, and took a dagger out of his jacket. "Now, try me," he said, rushing Kenshin who easily dodged, took the dagger out of his hand and threw it into a wooden post behind them.

The other paused, shocked, to look at his now empty hands, then up at Kenshin who was smirking slightly.

"How did you-?" But the redhead had disappeared into the air and dealt the stranger a head blow on the way down, knocking him unconscious as well.

When he was sure that the three men wouldn't bother anyone for a while, Kenshin sheathed his sword and ran over to Kaoru.

He knelt by her side, inspecting the wounds on her head, arms and legs, making temporary bandages from pieces torn from his shirt. After he was done, Kenshin lowered Kaoru's head to the ground and lightly brushed her hair away from her pale face. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you Kaoru." Kenshin whispered, then carefully picked her up and ran off into the night, carrying her in his arms.

* * *

Well, thats it for now. All thanks go to Yanikei for beta-ing this. Next chapter will be out soon. Please review... I luv you guys (and gals)! 

To my reviewers:

ruruken: Really? Well yes I was tempted too. I was also going to put Shishio saying 'what say you to that?' I LUV PIRATES! But decided not to... must... resist... It probably is a word and yea, it sorta does. I promise.

Du: Really? That makes me soooooooooo happy! Thnx!

wanda: I will, more often anyways. Thanks for ur imput.

Kristy-chan: Thanks, for ur compliment and imput. I promise.

ELLIE: Thanks, and youll have to wait an eensy weensy bit longer. Sry, but thanks for sticking with me.

Yanikei: Yes, that would be interesting wouldn't it? Thanks again for beta-ing. As for a plot point... sorta, but sorta not. (That made no sense did it?) Thanks for ur input.

Mikay: Thats okay... yes it is. SO MANY COMPLIMENTS blushes Yeah, Hiko does care for Kenshin, although its in his own, weird way. Keep looking!

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As for people who are looking for my other RK fanfic I mentioned. It is now posted under 'Reliving the Teens' please check it out! And next chapter will be a turning point in the plot... sorta... so please keep readng!

Until next time...

miji-chan

dont forget to review! ;) ;p


	6. Chapter 6

**Kendo Club**

Ch 5

Hey everyone! Hows it going? I'm sorry if this took long... with finals coming up and all the reviewing stuff I haven't had a lot of time to write. But anyways.. you don't want to hear my excuses... you want to read. Have fun and please review!

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Kaoru opened her eyes and blinked as they slowly adjusted to the dark room. When she was able to make out the shapes of objects easily, Kaoru realized with a start that she was in someone else's house, for surely this wasn't the living room of her own house that she knew so well! She slowly sat up, gripping at the edge and top of the couch when a feeling of light-headedness overwhelmed her. 

Now that she knew the layout of the room a bit better, Kaoru knew that this wasn't her house. The room that contained the couch she was laying on had a TV facing her, a bookshelf on both sides and a table in between her and the TV. On one side of the room beside a bookcase was a hallway; opposite it was a room, with what seemed to be appliances in.

Kaoru slowly swung her legs over the edge of the couch, causing the blanket she had been laying under to fall partly off of her. When she looked down at herself Kaoru saw that she was still wearing the clothes she had on last night, but her sleeves had been rolled up and her arms covered with bandages. Then she looked down to see her legs covered as well.

'What _happened_ last night?' Kaoru wondered, startled as she looked over herself, taking note of every injury. Slowly she stood, rewrapping the blanket around her body.

She maneuvered herself around the table and sofa until she was standing in the middle of the room, clutching the blanket tightly around herself. Desperately Kaoru tried to remember what happened the night before. 'I was walking home from work, Sano called to do something, but I was too tired so I said no. Then I kept walking and, and…' She trailed off as she remembered what had happened, and all of the things her kidnappers could possibly have done to her. Biting her lip, she continued to try and remember past her capture. Kaoru gasped after she finally remembered, 'someone showed up and stopped them. But who was it?' She desperately tried to remember the name of her savior. 'It was…'

"_Kenshin_!" She blurted loudly. 'So this must be his house then, Kenshin brought me back here afterwards.' Kaoru continued silently.

She turned to look around her; there was the hallway, the living room and the kitchen she had seen already. But there was a table, with chairs seated around it, and beyond that a curtain and door. 'Where's that lead?'

Kaoru slowly walked forward, skirted the table and drew back the curtain on both sides. Outside in the yard she could make out the shape of two moving figures, one tall and the other short.

To be able to see better Kaoru reached out and pushed the sliding door open so she could step out onto the patio. She paused there, waiting to catch her breath and steady herself.

When she walked out to the edge of the patio, Kaoru was able to distinguish by sight the two figures as Kenshin and Hiko. When she _could_ see them, that is. They were moving at breakneck speed, disappearing and reappearing in different places.

Kaoru watched, unbelieving as Kenshin rushed the much taller man, then spun away as Hiko attacked him back. They then began making multiple attacks. To Kaoru, it looked as if each was trying to kill the other. Finally Kenshin stepped back, blocking a blow from Hiko.

"Getting tired already baka deshi?" Hiko mocked the redhead, who glared at him, then disappeared from sight to reappear in the air above Hiko.

"Nighty-night Shishou." Kenshin smirked, then moved to bring his sword on Hiko's head.

Meanwhile, Kaoru was thinking, "When did he get up there and how did he jump so high?"

But Hiko smirked, caught the end of Kenshin's sword between his two hands, and threw Kenshin over his shoulder by swinging the sword around and to the ground. He didn't even scratch his palms on the blade of the sword.

By reflex Kenshin let go of the sword, did a few twirls to get his fall under control, and then fell easily to the ground without many injuries.

Hiko walked up to him, smirking. "What did you say again? Oh, I remember, 'nighty-night Shishou.'"

Kenshin glared at him. "That was unfair Shishou, you could have just dodged it."

"I could have, but I didn't. Remember what I said deshi, always be prepared for the unexpected, never let your opponent get the better of you." Hiko scolded, shaking his head.

Kenshin rolled his eyes. "Yes Shishou, I know," he got to his feet and began walking towards the house. When he was a few feet away from Kaoru, Kenshin stopped and smiled at her. "Good morning Miss Kaoru, are you hungry?"

Kaoru was surprised that he wasn't surprised to see her, but hid it and answered, "Yes I am."

He smiled again. "Alright, I'll start pancakes then. Is that okay with you?"

She smiled back. "I love pancakes."

"Wonderful," he gently led her into the house and closed the door behind them. "Are you feeling alright Kaoru? I tried to bandage your wounds as best as I could, but I only had my shirt and-"

Kaoru shook her head. "No, no. You did a wonderful job."

Kenshin didn't respond, but led her into the kitchen and pulled out a stool for her. "Thanks Kenshin."

He smiled again. "Its no problem." Kenshin walked over to the fridge and began rummaging through it. "Let's see, eggs, syrup, orange juice. Hmm, buttermilk, buttermilk. Darn it." Kenshin steeped away from the fridge and smiled grimly at Kaoru. "No buttermilk."

"Oh, don't worry that's fine. I-" Kaoru began stuttering.

"I'll be right back." Kenshin interrupted and left the kitchen, leaving Kaoru on her own.

A few minutes later, just as Kaoru had decided to go search for Kenshin, the doorbell rang.

"Would you mind getting the door please Kaoru?" Kenshin yelled from somewhere else in the house.

"Nope!" She yelled back and walked out of the kitchen, into the living room and to the door, which she opened to reveal a tall black haired woman carrying a darling little boy also with black hair who smiled at her.

The woman frowned. "Oh, hello. I was looking for my brother Hiko?" She asked Kaoru who realized that the two must be relatives.

Kaoru opened the door wider and stepped back. "I think Hiko's in the shower, Kenshin was supposedly talking to him," she explained as she closed, and locked, the door.

"Ah yes, I see." The woman said, then held out her hand and smiled. "I'm sorry, I'm Ishi Hanjin, Hiko's sister."

"Kaoru Kamiya, friend of Kenshin's." Kaoru introduced herself as she shook Ishi's hand. "Pleased to meet you."

"Hey there sport." Kenshin greeted, picking up the boy after he materialized from nowhere. "Uncle's in the bathroom," he told Ishi who smiled mischievously and politely excused herself.

"Kenny!" The little boy exclaimed hugging Kenshin and wrapping his arms around the older boys neck.

"Hey Shinta." Kenshin responded, then shifted his arm under the little boy so he could turn to Kaoru.

"Kaoru, this is my cousin Shinta. Shinta, this is my friend Kaoru." Kenshin introduced them.

"Hi Kaoru." Shinta said quietly while blushing.

"Hi Shinta." Kaoru said, then looked curiously at Kenshin. "Your cousin?"

Kenshin nodded. "Mmm hmm. Hey Shinta, we were going to make pancakes, do you want some?"

"Yaaa yaaah!" He exclaimed, nodding enthusiastically. "Kenny's are the _best_!" Shinta told Kaoru happily.

"Kenny?" Kaoru asked Kenshin who blushed. "Yeah, that's his nickname for me."

"Cute." Kaoru commented.

"You didn't happen to bring any buttermilk with you, that you hid somewhere Shinta? Because we're out." Kenshin teased, then proceeded to tickle his cousin, making the little boy erupt in giggles.

"Hey Kenshin, can I use your phone? I was supposed to call Sano." Kaoru explained, causing Kenshin to look up at her. "Sure, it's in the kitchen." Kaoru walked towards the kitchen, smiling when Kenshin all of a sudden picked Shinta up and began spinning him around in the air.

Kaoru picked up the phone and dialed Sano's number, leaning against the doorway to watch Kenshin and Shinta.

"Hello?" Sano's voice came warily through the phone.

"Hey Sano, its Kaoru."

"Oh, hey Kaoru. I didn't recognize your number." Sano explained enthusiastically.

"Its not mine. I'm over at Kenshin's." Kaoru explained, switching the phone over to her right hand.

"Kenshin's? When? How?" Sano explained loudly. "I want an explanation girl!"

Kaoru laughed. "Alright, alright. Well on my home after you called I was dragged into an alleyway. They started to hurt me, when Kenshin showed up and rescued me."

"Mm-hmm. I see. So, what's up?" Sano asked, changing the subject.

"Nothing, just called to check in." Suddenly she had a brilliant thought. "You want you come over for pancakes?"

"You bet!" Sano exclaimed happily. He'd eat dirt as long as someone else cooked it for him. "Where are you?"

"I told you, Kenshin's." Kaoru reminded him.

Sano rolled his eyes. "I know that, I meant where's Kenshin's house?"

"Oh." Kaoru paused and thought. "That's a good question, hang on a sec," she removed the phone from her ear and put her hand over the mouthpiece. "Hey Kenshin?"

Kenshin stopped spinning and lowered Shinta to the floor. "Yeah?"

"Would it be okay if Sano comes over for pancakes?" Kaoru asked.

"Sure, the more the merrier." Kenshin answered.

"Could you tell Sano how to get here?" She asked, gesturing at the phone.

"Right, well I can try," he picked Shinta up and walked over to Kaoru. "Would you mind looking after Shinta?" Kenshin asked, taking the phone.

"Course not." Kaoru took Shinta from Kenshin and held him tightly as Kenshin began talking into the phone, trying to guide Sano. From the number of times "No, that's not it" was said; it was going to be a while.

"Come on Shinta, let's leave your cousin alone." Kaoru told the boy as she walked out of the kitchen to sit down on the couch. Shinta crawled out of her lap to sit next to her.

"You know, he wasn't always so happy." Ishi said, materializing and sitting down next to Kaoru, startling her.

"What do you mean?" Kaoru asked the woman curiously as she rested her feet on the table.

"I don't think I've ever seen Kenshin smile or laugh at all in the past few years," she sighed, her eyes half-closed in sadness or pity. "I suppose his life was doomed from the beginning after his parents died."

"What?" Kaoru exclaimed, "His parents are dead?"

Ishi turned to look at her, "Yes, didn't he tell you?" Kaoru shook her head. "Well, I suppose Kenshin should tell you himself then. I'm happy he has friends though; you'll be a good influence on him. Hiko and I have been worried about Kenshin for so long," she smiled. "But he looks so happy when he's with Shinta. I suppose he's making up for his own missed childhood."

Kaoru stared at her, then looked over at Kenshin who was still talking on the phone with Sano. 'What happened to him? Why wasn't he happy?' She wondered.

"Well I suppose Shinta and I should leave." Ishi said as she stood and picked up Shinta.

"Don't you want to stay for pancakes?" Kenshin asked, from where he was standing next to the couch.

Kaoru blinked and then stared at him and Ishi gasped and put a hand to her heart. "Don't do that Kenshin! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"I always nearly give you a heart attack." Kenshin teased. "Sano's coming over, and he said he'd see if anyone else could come." Kenshin informed Kaoru.

"Great!"

"Mommy, are we going to stay for Kenny's pancakes?" Shinta asked from his spot next to Kaoru.

"If Kenshin's friends are coming, then we should leave them alone Shinta. You can have Kenshin's special pancakes some other time." Ishi told her son, scooping him up under her arm.

"Are you leaving already?" Hiko asked walking into the room wearing sweatpants and an overlarge sweatshirt.

Kaoru stared at Hiko as Ishi responded, "Yes we are. Some of Kenshin's friends are coming over, and Shinta and I wouldn't want to be a bother."

Hiko turned to glare at Kenshin. "And why didn't I hear of this?"

"Because I didn't think you would mind." Kenshin responded coolly under Hiko's gaze. "You were the one who told me to spend time with friends as a way to reacquaint myself into society."

"Baka deshi, turning my words on me." Hiko grumbled, then turned his back on Kenshin, ignoring him completely.

Kenshin tugged lightly on Kaoru's sleeve. "Come on Kaoru, we need to start the pancakes." They snuck away together after a quick wave to Ishi and Shinta.

"Your cousin's cute." Kaoru commented when they were safely in the kitchen. Kenshin smiled at her. "Yes he is."

"What do we need?" She asked curiously, looking around them.

"Well, pans are in that drawer." Kenshin pointed. "Mixing bowls in that one." Point. "And other utensils we need finally in there." A final point. "If you wouldn't mind getting that stuff, also the buttermilk's in the fridge." Kenshin finished.

"Alright." Kaoru nodded and began to get the bowls, pan and utensils out. 'I'm so glad I'm not the one cooking, I would make a fool out of myself.' Kaoru thought to herself as she put the pan on the stove and the other things on the counter.

Then she took the buttermilk out of the fridge and turned around to see Kenshin standing on the very edge of the counter getting ingredients out of the top shelves of the cupboards.

"Kenshin!" She shrieked, nearly dropping the buttermilk and eggs.

He turned slightly to look back at her confusedly. "Yes Kaoru?" Kenshin jumped down to land lightly on the floor, holding flour and baking powder in one hand and salt and sugar in the other.

"H-how?" Kaoru stuttered as she turned to set the buttermilk and eggs down on the counter so she wouldn't drop them.

Kenshin walked up to her and worriedly put a hand on her forehead. "Are you alright Kaoru?"

Hiko stuck his head in. "I heard a scream, are you two alright?" Kenshin moved his hand and stepped back from Kaoru.

"She screamed when she saw me standing on the counter." Kenshin explained.

"Ah. I told you not to do that baka. You could get hurt, and what if someone saw you? Everyone's not as agile and balanced as the two of us." Hiko scolded, his tone becoming smart-aleckedly at the end. He paused thoughtfully. "I don't suppose you want to do twenty laps around the house?"

Kenshin shook his head. "No, not really."

"_Then don't do that again!_" Hiko concluded, and walked back out. Kenshin rolled his eyes. "Here Kaoru, why don't you sit down?" He asked, pulling out a stool.

"Thanks Kenshin." Kaoru said, sighing gratefully as she sat down to relieve her trembling legs.

Kenshin looked worriedly at her. "You should be resting Kaoru, you're not even close to being fully healed yet." Kaoru opened her mouth to protest, but Kenshin interrupted. "I know that will be hard Kaoru, but you need to stay off your feet. You'll find that you'll tire more easily then usual."

"Since when do you play at being doctor baka?" Hiko asked teasingly, causing Kenshin to turn around and glare at him.

Hiko smiled mischievously and walked back out of the room. Kenshin turned to Kaoru. "Just try to ignore him Kaoru, I usually do," he smiled. "Now how about those pancakes I was talking about?"

Kaoru nodded and Kenshin walked to the counter and began making the batter. Kaoru watched his back as he moved. 'What was your Aunt talking about Kenshin? What happened that made you so sad?'

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Can you imagine Hiko wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt? I would FREAK OUT if I saw that. And if your wondering if I named Kenshins cousin 'Shinta' for a particular reason... yes, I did. Besides the fact that I thought it would be cute. Also if anyone's saying to themselves: 'Kenshin and Hiko are related!' Yes, they are, but don't think too much on it. Also, Ishi ISNT Hiko's wife, she his SISTER. Just in case anyone's confused.

I think thats all the things I need to comment on. I hope you enjoyed it. I do have a plan for where this is going, I just have to figure out how to GET there.

Thanks to Yanikei for beta-ing this for me... and all of my stories. THANKS!

Moving on...

To my reviewers:

Yanikei: Thanks, and thanks again for beta-ing.

ELLIE: Sry you had to wait so long... is this one better? Next chap will be longer then this... I promise.

Aceraptor: Im glad you love it. Thats always good to hear. Thanks, I appreciate the wish. Sya.

Kristy-chan: Thanks, and yes... it was short. Sry about that. ;)

Gypsy: I'm glad it was really good. yes, he's always the 'man to the rescue!' okay, just ignore that, im being weird. Your right, he could... interesting. Keep on looking forward!

Du: Im sooooo glad. Yeah, short I know... but to the point... and cute. ;p

* * *

Thanks again to everyone who reads and reviews! And if you don't... please do so! I would love to hear from you! (poitns finger out at reader)

See y'all later. This time wil be shorter... I promise.

miji-chan


	7. Chapter 7

**Kendo Club**

Ch 7

Hello everyone! How you doin? Lalalala, sry but Im a little hyper this morning. Wait, is it morning? (peeks out window)Yep, its morning. (singing) Good, morning, good morning, its great to stay up late... Wow, that was random. Sry. Anyway, please enjoy, and don't forget to review. Please?

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Sano rang the doorbell at the house Kenshin had directed him to, and beside him Misao shifted impatiently to foot-to-foot. 

"What's taking them so lo-ong!" Misao whined, eyeing the door. Sano noticed her impatience and teasingly patted her on the head. "Don't worry Misao, they wouldn't just leave us standing out here."

Just as Misao was readying herself to punch Sano's guts out, the door opened and their mouths dropped to see Hiko standing in the doorway wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt.

When Hiko realized just who their guests were, he groaned and shook his head. "Of course they invite you two." He opened the door further and waved them in. When neither of them moved, Hiko glared. "Well are you two going to stand there like idiots or are you coming in?" He snapped impatiently.

"Oh, right." Sano said recovering then followed Misao inside. Hiko locked the door behind them and disappeared into another room.

"Hey Sano!" Someone yelled to him as he and Misao awkwardly stood alone in the living room.

Sano looked up to have something hot, soft and rubbery hit his face. He slowly peeled it off, hearing multiple people laughing at him, just to have some blobs of whatever it was stick to his face. Looking down, Sano found himself holding a hot, fluffy pancake.

"Oops, perhaps I undercooked that one." Kenshin said from the kitchen doorway, holding a plate with steaming pancakes piled on it in one hand and a spatula in the other.

"KENSHIN!" Sano yelled angrily, charging the redhead. He raised his arm to punch Kenshin in the face, but the redhead had already moved and was standing by the table.

"Don't you want some pancakes?" Kenshin asked innocently, pointing at the plate of pancakes which he had set on the table. He had to dodge again when Sano tried to punch him a second time.

Sano stopped right in front of the table, his arm extended, when he realized Kenshin wasn't there anymore. He slowly turned around to find the redhead leaning against the couch, eating a pancake he had on his fork. "Kenshin, what the,"

"Okay then," Kenshin shrugged, calmly eating the pancake, "but they'll get cold."

Kaoru stepped up to Sano, waving her hands. "Don't hurt him Sano. Kenshin didn't throw the pancake, I did."

Sano stopped confused, staring down at Kaoru then over at Kenshin who waved cheekily. He sighed and scratched his head. "Whatever. Misao, who-"

Misao looked up from her seat at the table, currently devouring a pancake drenched with syrup. "Huh?"

Before anyone could react, a timer started dinging in the kitchen. "Oh dear." Kenshin commented and in a blur he had stood, grabbed the spatula and plate of pancakes (from which Misao was taking another) and was standing in front of the stove, flipping the currently cooking pancakes.

"O-kay," Sano commented, eyes wide. Misao was also gaping while whining about her second pancake.

Kaoru smirked at them. "You can sit down now; the pancakes will be ready in a few minutes," she instructed, pointing at the chairs. They all sat down around the table and began talking, eagerly awaiting their food.

Suddenly Hiko came back in, wearing the same get-up as before. "Hey baka!" He yelled into the kitchen.

"Yes Hiko?" Kenshin asked smiling, but his eyes showed his annoyance. "How soon?" The tall man asked, pointing at the stove.

Kenshin rolled his eyes. "You'll get your food when everyone else does Uncle." He turned back to the stove, ignoring the other man.

"Is this what I get for housing and feeding you for so many years?" Hiko demanded, mock-angrily, narrowing his eyes.

"_If you can call that food_." Kenshin sighed, "Go sit down Hiko," he said quietly, flipping more pancakes onto the plate. Hiko did so, grumbling angrily as he sat down at the head of the table.

Misao turned to Hiko and said sympathetically, "You didn't get one either Hiko-sensei?"

Hiko turned to her. "No I didn't. Wonderful repayment for the person who's been feeding, clothing and housing him all these years."

"You mean you and Kenshin live here together?" Sano asked surprised.

"Of course, did you think I was just visiting or something?" Hiko asked incredulously, then muttered under his breath, "Stupid boy."

"You grumble too much Uncle." Kenshin scolded as he set the plate of pancakes by Sano and sat down next to Kaoru. "Ready to dig in?" He asked expectantly.

"Yep!" Kaoru and Misao cheered happily as they took two pancakes each and began eating. Hiko quickly also took one and ate it.

"Uncle?" Sano asked. "You two are related?" He pointed his fork at Kenshin and Hiko.

"Unfortunately, yes." Kenshin answered, buttering his own pancakes.

Kaoru looked over at Kenshin and noticed that he looked slightly uncomfortable. Curious she asked, "Just how long have you been living with Hiko, Kenshin?"

He paused eating, his fork halfway to his mouth and glanced up at Kaoru, then Hiko and down at his plate. "Ten, eleven years." Kenshin said, and then silently began eating again.

Hiko nodded, "Something like that." Then in a barely visible motion he reached across the table to snatch one of his nephew's pancakes, but Kenshin intercepted his fork, locking the prongs together. Hiko glared at him then unlocked his fork and put it down on his own plate. "I don't know how I've managed to stay with this baka for that long." He smirked, and noticed Kenshin's eyes flickering dangerously between violet and amber.

"I'm not the only one." Kenshin shot back, taking a vicious bite of his pancake.

"Of course not, these three fit into the category as well." Hiko added, gesturing with his fork. "Just be glad I took you in boy, who knows where you'd be without me?" Hiko paused thoughtfully, glancing over at Kenshin whose eyes told of a few things he wanted to do to his uncle now. They seemed to include _ryutsuisen-ing_ him through the floor then _ryushosen-ing_ him into the sky. Despite the silent threat Hiko continued. "Although truthfully it was as a favor to your parents, they would have wanted me to take care of you."

Kenshin snapped. He harshly pushed his chair back from the table and stood up. "And a wonderful job you've done so far," the redhead whispered, his eyes pure amber,

Then without another word, he walked around the table, across the room to the hallway and slammed an unseen door.

Hiko sighed and stood. "Excuse me, and the baka." He followed Kenshin's path and disappeared down the dark hallway.

"What was that about?" Misao asked, taking her third pancake and drenching it in syrup.

"It must be something with his parents." Sano commented, chugging down his orange juice.

"That's right." Kaoru said, remembering. "Kenshins aunt and little cousin, he's sooo cute, were over earlier and I remember his aunt saying something about how his life was 'doomed' after his parents died."

"So his parents are dead and now he's living with Hiko who's his uncle?" Sano summarized skeptically.

Kaoru shrugged. "Guess so."

They sat around the table, quietly finishing their breakfast, until a loud, booming voice became audible to them.

"-I didn't do anything boy, you should be grateful to me for everything I've done for you." Well, that was easily recognizable as Hiko's.

"I am, but you have no right to disrespect my parents." Hissed a cold, murderous voice. Sano, Kaoru and Misao stared at each other. Was that _Kenshin_?

"You baka! I wasn't disrespecting your parents. Your mother was my _sister_, I would never disrespect my blood."

"Yet you disrespect me." The voice said coldly, almost threateningly.

"Yes, well you're a different story." Hiko muttered.

"Is that so? If my mother was still alive would you still treat me the way you do now?" Kaoru shivered, Kenshin's voice now could freeze water.

"Your mother has nothing to do with this Kenshin." Hiko said, his voice becoming an angry whisper as well.

"Nothing? _Nothing_?" Kenshins voice rose several octaves, still icily cold. "She has everything to do with this. Do you think the two of us were spared just so you could treat me like this?"

They could hear Hiko sigh noisily. "That wasn't what I mean Kenshin, don't twist my words. I have nothing against your mother and who knows what would have happened if she had survived."

There was an awkward silence before Kenshin announced coldly. "No more, I'm leaving."

"I'm the one who raised you!" Hiko shouted desperately.

"And look what I've become because of you." Kenshin hissed angrily. Then, there was silence.

A few minutes later Sano hissed, "What on earth?" But Kaoru held up her hand to stop him as Hiko walked back into the room, grumbling. He walked over to the table and sat down in his previously vacated chair, continuing to grumble. The teens exchanged looks as they heard the select few words of 'baka,' 'stupid' and 'nephew.'

"Where did Kenshin go?" Sano asked, trying to sound uninterested and failing miserably. Kaoru glared at him, but she was curious as well.

Hiko looked up at them scowling. "The baka went out the window and disappeared into the trees." He went on, muttering. "I never should have put a window in his room. It's too easy an escape route."

Kaoru abruptly stood at this, her chair protesting as it rubbed against the carpet. "I have to find him," she announced and began heading towards the door.

Sano and Misao looked surprised. They hadn't known she cared for Kenshin so much. Hiko scowled at her. "If he doesn't want to be found, you won't be able to." He called.

Kaoru paused in the doorway, her hand poised on the doorknob. "I don't care!" She shouted back and slammed the door behind her.

* * *

Fluffy fluffity fluff! (runs and jumps into fluff)Actually there wasnt a lot of fluff. Never mind. But wasnt Kenshin scary? Brrrr! 

Oh, just FYI, I leave for Japan in FOUR DAYS and Ill be there for TEN DAYS! So there might or not be a update between now and then. It depends on how productive my typist me and my beta-reader Yanikei can be before then. But just don't hold your breath.

To my reviewers:

I'm not sure if I already responded to your reviews or not, so I'm going to anyway, just in case. But from now on I'll just respond by e-mail and list the names. That makes it easier on everyone.

Trisa: Ah, I see. Thats what I thought... thanks for all the compliments. Well, thanks anyways for reviewing. And yeah, that is a little hard to imagine. ;p

stranded: Yeah, I do. But this is an AU fic so I made Kenshin 17 so he would go to high school.

Trisa: Im sorry but I'm confused. Time warping? Thanks. Oh, and thank you for correcting me, I wasn't sure and its good to know what its supposed to be now.

enchanted: Wow, so many compliments... (goes swirly eyed) Oro. I promise to.

Gypsy: Thank you, yeah, I love buttermilk pancakes too! Yummy yum. Yep, a little family... and I know.. soooo cute! Yep, dont worry, I'm working on the K/K there'll be more next chapter. Promise. Thanks again.

Yanikei: Well thanks. Oh dear, so how big is it now? Jk. Thanks.

ruruken: Thats okay. Im glad you did this time:) I'm glad you liked it. And as for her name it was kinda just out of the blue. Yes, she will, but not for awhile. Aye aye cap'n!

Du: I'm glad, and thanks.

Thats all for now! Thanks again.. don't forget to review! Any suggestions/comments/plot ideas welcome!

Sya

miji-chan


	8. Chapter 8

**Kendo Club**

Ch 8

Okay everyone, I know I said that there wouldn't be another update until AFTER I get back, but guess what?

HERE'S ANOTHER CHAPTER!

Yippe yay! Please enjoy!

* * *

Kaoru ran down the busy street, making her way through the thin crowd, shouting Kenshin's name and stopping briefly at stoplights. She made it to the main street across from the city park before she had to stop and catch her breath, clutching at her side. "Where could he have gone so quickly? I know he can move fast, but," 

She stopped thinking out loud and stood up to stare at the park opposite her. "Maybe he made it to the park." Kaoru rationalized, and then walked across the street to the park during the next green light.

* * *

Kaoru walked through the gateway of the park and proceeded to make her way down the main path, calling Kenshin's name. As she walked, Kaoru passed a bench where two men sat gazing over the park. Distractedly she noticed one man was dressed casually and had a constant smile on his face, no matter what his companion whispered to him. The second man was wearing a bathrobe, black hair tied in a high ponytail with the rest of his visible body parts completely covered with bandages.

She continued walking, calling Kenshin's name, when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Kaoru spun around to see the smiling man standing behind her. "Y-yes?"

His smile was becoming even wider. "I'm sorry to bother you, but it seems like you're looking for Himura as well?"

Kaoru stared at him, but managed to say, "Yes." 'He does mean Kenshin right?' She asked herself.

"Wonderful." He turned to call back to the man in the bathrobe still sitting on the bench. "Oto-san, this lady is also looking for Himura."

Oto-san, or whatever his name was, acknowledged the comment with a nod, slowly stood up and walked over to them. "So you know Himura." Oto-san stated smirking and grabbed Kaoru's upper arm, pulling her towards him. "He always manages to attracts the pretty ones," he whispered leaning closer to Kaoru. She squirmed, trying to break his grip but it only made him chuckle madly and tighten his grip. The smiling man was suddenly standing on Kaoru's other side, not holding her but standing as if he would at a moments notice.

"Get your filthy hands off her Makoto," commanded a disembodied voice from somewhere near them.

Smirking, Makoto let go of Kaoru and walked a few steps towards a large oak tree standing beside them. In his place the smiling man moved behind Kaoru and held her arms behind her back. "I thought you were somewhere nearby Himura." Makoto called up into the tree.

'Is he crazy?' Kaoru silently wondered as she squirmed in the smiling man's grip. Then she gasped as Kenshin seemingly appeared out of nowhere as he landed in front of Makoto, eyes narrowed angrily.

Makoto smirked. "You always were fond of high places Himura." Kenshin glared at him. "Hello to you too Makoto," he said icily then walked up beside him. "Hands off, I said Tenken." Kenshin ordered, leaning slightly sideways.

Tenken smiled but didn't loosen his grip on Kaoru's arms.

"Kenshin!" Kaoru called happily and the anger disappeared from the redhead's face to be replaced by a smile.

"Hello Kaoru," he greeted her casually, and glared over her shoulder at Tenken. When he didn't react Kenshin turned his gaze back on Makoto. "What do you want from me?"

Makoto smirked. "What do we want? Just a simple little thing." He slowly backed up towards Tenken and Kaoru while Kenshin glared icily at him.

"Which is?" Kenshin asked in an annoyed tone.

With a laugh and roll of his eyes Makoto said, "You always were thick-headed. Tenken, why don't you tell him?"

Tenken smiled, still not letting go of Kaoru. "It's simple really."

Kenshin growled. "Tell me!"

Makoto laughed. "Relax Himura, be patient." Kenshin glared at him then looked back at Tenken.

"We need an answer from you. A favorable one would be the best." Tenken answered. "You won't be leaving the park until you do."

Kenshin scowled and rubbed his forehead. "I told you last night that I don't have an answer for you. Why won't you believe that?"

Makoto frowned. "Because you've never been so slow at making up your mind before."

"I bet." Kenshin muttered under his breath. "That was then, this is now. If I answer will you let Kaoru go?" He asked hesitantly, looking back at Kaoru.

Makoto frowned and looked at Tenken who shrugged. "I suppose so."

Kenshin sighed and hung his head a moment before looking up at them determinedly. "My answer is I'm sorry, but no."

There was silence as the two gaped at Kenshin and Kaoru looked on confusedly.

Then Makoto drew a hidden sword and rushed Kenshin, shouting wildly, "Traitor! Traitor!"

Kenshin dodged the attack and hit Makoto on the back. "No, Makoto. The traitor is you," he whispered. When Makoto was back on his feet Kenshin attacked again. He had his sword at Makoto's neck when he felt cold metal pressed against his own throat. Kenshin looked over his shoulder to see Tenken standing beside him, holding the sword. 'Darn it, I forgot about him!' Kenshin cursed silently as he straightened and sheathed the sword.

Tenken smiled and lowered his sword. "You forget I'm just as fast you." He looked over at Makoto who also sheathed his sword. Smiling again Tenken met Kenshin's gaze again. "That was the wrong answer Himura."

Kenshin smiled. "I'm sorry to hear that Tenken." Then he disappeared from beside Tenken to stand in front of Kaoru. "Are you alright?" He asked her worriedly, looking her over.

She nodded and managed to smile back at him. Behind them Makoto yelled, "Get back here Himura! I'll make you say what I want!"

Kenshin rolled his eyes. "He always was crazy." He muttered, making Kaoru laugh. "Here Kaoru, climb up onto my back." When she looked confused Kenshin clarified. "Like if I was giving you a piggyback ride."

"Himura!" Makoto shouted from behind them and began to run at them. Kaoru wrapped her arms around Kenshin's neck and gripped his sides with her legs.

"All right Kaoru, hang on tight. And whatever you do, don't let go." Kenshin instructed then took off across the park at a dead run. Behind them he heard Makoto shout at Tenken to go after them. 'Darn!' Kenshin cursed silently, then jumped onto the top of a bench on the edge of the park, then up onto the fence surrounding the park.

"Are you okay so far Kaoru?" Kenshin asked as he paused to look back and see Tenken close behind them. Kaoru nodded into his neck as Kenshin took off again, leaping off down the fence and running across the street to then run down the opposite sidewalk, darting through the crowd.

* * *

Kenshin continued running, Kaoru still hanging onto him, until they came to a place where the sidewalk ended. "Darn, I forgot about this." He said, running a hand through his hair.

Kaoru looked at it from over his shoulder. "Can't you run on grass?" She asked reasonably.

"Yes, but its more difficult. And we still have yet to loose Tenken." Kenshin explained, pointing over his shoulder. He looked up and saw a mailbox, a tree and the roof of the nearest building. Smiling mischievously he asked Kaoru, "Ready for a little gymnastics?"

"What do you," Kaoru began to ask, but Kenshin had already jumped onto the top of the mailbox and was standing on a tree branch. He paused momentarily then jumped across to land on top of the roof.

"Still alright Kaoru?" Kenshin asked as he searched for Tenken's ki, cursing when he couldn't find it anywhere.

Kaoru looked up from where she had pressed her face against his shoulder. "Uh huh, I think so." She answered weakly. "But Kenshin, why do we have to run so fast?"

"Soujiro can run as fast as I can, sometimes faster." Kenshin explained, hopping across the rooftops.

"Soujiro?" Kaoru asked confused, scrunching her nose.

"Tenken. Soujiro is his real name." Kenshin answered, pausing on top of a roof to glance behind them.

"Heaven's sword." Kaoru murmured. "What about the guy in the bathrobe with all the bandages? You called him Makoto."

"Shishio Makoto. For some reason Soujiro really looks up to him." Kenshin continued roof hopping until he realized they were very close to his house. "Nearly there." He commented loud enough for Kaoru to hear. "Kaoru I'm going to drop you off at my house, then draw Soujiro away. I need you to stay safe, you don't want to get mixed up with Soujiro and Shishio."

"But Kenshin!" Kaoru protested as they landed on the roof of Hiko and Kenshin's house. "I'm the assistant master of,"

Kenshin gently unhooked her hands and gently slid her off his back. "I know Kaoru, but that still might not be good enough. But if you're with Uncle I'll know you're safe." He held her hands as he jumped down onto the patio then let go. "But thank you for coming after me Kaoru." Kenshin lightly kissed her on the cheek then jumped back onto the roof and ran off onto another roof.

Kaoru watched him until he blended with the sky and she couldn't see him anymore. There was a loud knock from the glass door beside her and she turned to see Hiko standing on the other side. Without a word he opened the door and gestured for her to come inside.

When she was inside, Hiko closed the door. "So where did Kenshin go?" He asked impatiently.

Kaoru stared at him. "How did you know he was here? Kenshin just left."

"I could tell by his ki, now what happened after you found the baka?" Hiko asked, watching as Kaoru sat down on the couch.

"Well, he was in the park, in a tree. But two other people there were looking for him, their names were Soujiro and Shishio I think." Kaoru explained, then looked surprised at Hiko who had slammed his hand against the table.

"I told him not to get messed up with them again!" He exclaimed angrily. After he sighed Hiko turned back to her again. "How did he answer them? At least tell me he didn't make a mistake with that."

Kaoru bit her lip. "Well, I didn't understand what was going on, but Kenshin told them he was sorry but he had to say no. It didn't make them very happy."

"Well at least he made the right decision." Hiko stated, and abruptly changed the topic. "If it's Soujiro who's after Kenshin he'll be awhile. Don't worry about him, you just need to relax." With that last instruction, Hiko walked back down the hallway and went into a room at the end of the hall.

'They're treating me like an invalid.' Kaoru complained to herself as she swung her legs up onto the couch. As she did so, Kaoru noticed the bandages wrapped around her legs. 'Maybe because I am one.' Kaoru amended, grimacing. She looked around her, 'now what to do.' Kaoru asked herself.

* * *

In the end, she decided to watch TV and movies the rest of the day. Hey, Hiko and Kenshin had told her to rest and this was relaxing! At least, that was her excuse. Sure every now and then she had to get up to change DVD's, but the shows on TV were entertaining and Kenshin and Hiko seemed to have good taste in movies.

Kaoru continued to watch movies until late into the night when she fell asleep during one of her favorites. While she was sleeping there were loud noises and raised voices coming from somewhere else in the house, but Kaoru continued to sleep through it.

* * *

In the middle of the night, Kaoru woke up with a desperate need to use the bathroom and her arms were aching horribly. Groaning, she sat up and stood, then made her way around the furniture and down the hall where Kenshin had pointed out the bathroom to her.

After she had gone to the bathroom and readjusted the bandages on her arms and legs, Kaoru left the bathroom and made her way back down the hall, but paused in front of Kenshin's door, staring at the wood and found her hand rising as if to knock on the hard wood.

"You can come in Kaoru." Kenshin's voice called from within the room. Kaoru started and turned the doorknob so that the door swung open.

She cautiously stepped inside, and her eyes immediately focused on Kenshin sitting at a desk with his back to her, typing on a computer. Without turning Kenshin spoke again. "You had better close the door Kaoru, my uncle is a very light sleeper." Kaoru walked back over to the door and shut it again, then stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, looking at everything around her. The empty walls were painted a pale blue, and a small bed was placed in the middle of the room. On one side of it was a bookshelf and there was a small window above it. 'He fit through that?' Kaoru asked herself skeptically.

"I'm sorry Kaoru, I'm almost done." Kenshin spoke, drawing her back to where he was sitting. Kaoru's eyes drifted over the desk and computer Kenshin was working on. Above the computer were two separate shelves that had been drilled into the wall. Kaoru noticed surprised that a sheathed sword lay on top of the upper shelf. She opened her mouth to ask the redhead about it.

"Uncle gave it to me a couple years ago as a birthday present." Kenshin explained, spinning around in his chair to face her.

"H-how?" Kaoru asked him wide-eyed, causing Kenshin to laugh and smile. "I saw you looking at it and sensed your curiosity."

Kenshin stood up and took the sword down off the shelf, then turned back to her. "So, do you like it?" He asked presenting it to her.

Kaoru took the sword and partly unsheathed it after turning it around and inspecting it. "The blade, its-"

"On the wrong side, I know." Kenshin finished smiling. "It's a sakabato, used for protecting, not killing." A brief expression of sadness passed over his face, but it was quickly replaced by another smile.

"Huh." Kaoru commented, then laughed at herself. "Ha, listen to me, as if I'm an expert on this kind of thing."

Kenshin smiled. "But you are, you said yourself that you are the assistant master at your family dojo. You must know something."

Kaoru stared at him and handed the sword back. "How do you know that?"

Kenshin replaced the sword back on its shelf before turning back to answer her. "You mentioned it earlier and I just happened to remember you doing so." He smiled. "I'm sorry, please sit down on the bed Kaoru, if you can find any room. You shouldn't be standing for too long."

Kaoru nodded dumbly and walked over to the bed then sank down onto it. "How long ago did you get back?" She finally asked.

"Hmm?" Kenshin asked distractedly, resting his head on the top of the chair. Kaoru repeated her question. "Ah, a few hours ago I suppose. Enough time to eat, shower, bandage a few wounds and be yelled at by Uncle. It took me forever to loose Soujiro, or I hope I lost him. I wasn't exactly sure, it's hard to tell when he has no ki to speak of."

"You've mentioned that before, and so has your uncle." When Kenshin gave her a blank look she added, "Sensing ki I mean. Hiko said that's how he knew you dropped me off and you did yourself when we were running from Shishio and Soujiro the first time."

Kenshin smiled confusedly at her. "You practice swords and are even an assistant master at a dojo, surely you've heard of ki."

Kaoru rolled her eyes. "Of course I know about ki, I've just never heard of it being used in the way you and your uncle obviously use it. My father always said that it was more a personal thing."

Kenshin smiled, then jumped when his computer beeped at him. "Oops." He said as he turned around to shut it off. After Kenshin had turned to face her again but hadn't began talking again, she prodded, "Well?"

The redhead started and looked up at her surprised. When she looked meaningfully at him, he laughed. "I'm sorry Kaoru, I got slightly distracted." Kenshin rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, right. Well the sword style Uncle and I use is partially based on reading your opponents moves by observing their ki."

Kaoru stared. "I never knew ki could be used that way, that's amazing. So I guess you can use it to locate people as well?" She asked interestedly.

Kenshin tilted his head slightly to one side. "Well, in a way. You can locate people by looking for their ki signature, which is different for everyone."

"So that's how you knew it was me outside your door?" Kaoru reasoned, it did make sense in way that she hadn't thought of before.

Kenshin nodded. "Yours is unique to who you are, it represents your personality." When Kaoru looked surprised he continued. "You have a warrior's ki, but you carry no guilt from using it to kill. You care for your family and friends, yet carry a great sadness caused by the death of a loved one." He smiled, opening his eyes. "Am I right?"

"Yes, but that, that's amazing." Kaoru sighed and leaned against the footboard of the bed. "I didn't know you could tell so much from reading someone's ki."

"Mm hmm." Kenshin agreed, then stared distantly at the wall opposite him.

Kaoru looked worriedly at him, and asked cheerfully, "Will you come to practice tomorrow?"

Kenshin started and turned to look at her. "Huh?" When Kaoru repeated her question he answered, "You mean Kendo practice, at school?"

"Mm hmm, since you've never come before, you'll have to grace us with your presence tomorrow." Kaoru joked, which earned her a laugh from Kenshin who afterwards smiled mischievously at her.

"Actually, I've come quite a few times. You just never see me." He informed her, making Kaoru confused. "Hidden, in the shadows of the bleachers." Kenshin clarified.

Kaoru looked like a light bulb had just gone off. "Oh, is that way during practice lately Hiko would glare up into the stands?"

"Yes." Kenshin laughed. "Uncle insists that instead of hiding in the shadows I should join or become involved with the club." His expression became hard and distant. "It's just old habits are so hard to break."

Kaoru watched him worriedly and waited for Kenshin to continue. When he didn't she sighed and stood up beside the bed. Her heart went out to Kenshin, she wanted to make him smile and laugh, to forget all his worries, but he could be so distant sometimes.

"I'm going to bed Kenshin, I'll see you in the morning." Kaoru said as she walked over to the door and shut it behind her.

"Goodbye, Kaoru." Kenshin whispered into the emptiness.

* * *

Alright everyone! Thats a wrap! ;p

I hope you liked that chapter... you can thank my quick typing skills and my beta-readers quick editing skills for such a quick update... Yep, this isn't just all me folks... believe it or not. ;)

Thanks goes to my beta-reader Yanikei who always puts up with my demands and quirks no matter what. And to all my reviewers for this chapter, listed below: (THANK YOU SOOO MUCH... YOU KEEP ME WRITING!)

Ellie 31773, Yanikei, Becky Yuy, Du Weldenvarden Farcai, Kristy-chan andenchanted sleeper

Also thanksto all my well-wishers for my trip! I appreciate it... now nothing can go wrong! ;p

Well, off to pack my suitcase! So long all!

miji-chan


	9. Chapter 9

**Kendo Club**

Ch 9

Hey everyone! Wassup! Did anyone see Pirates? OMG was that awesome! Okay, sorry this took so long but I didnt get very much time to write in Japan, but it did turn out well. Hope you Enjoy! And Review!

* * *

The next day after school Kaoru met Kenshin at his locker and only gave him enough time to throw his books inside it before dragging him by the arm straight to Kendo practice. 

Once inside the gym, Kaoru and Kenshin walked over to the bleachers and sat down to wait for other people to arrive. Not even Hiko was there yet. Once they sat down, Kaoru turned to Kenshin smiling. "Thanks for coming Kenshin. And being visible this time," she hastily added when Kenshin opened his mouth to protest.

Kenshin answered, "No problem, Kaoru," he sensed someone entering the dojo and smiled mischievously. "Here, let me show you something."

Kaoru looked confusedly at him, but Kenshin turned to point over at Sano who had just walked in the double doors, his hair as pointy as ever. "Look at Sano, watch how he moves."

They did this for at least a minute before Kaoru turned to Kenshin, still confused as before. "I don't notice anything special about it Kenshin."

He leaned forward to look beyond her and they watched Sano join the group. "Well, first look at how he's aware of most of his surroundings, Sano walks easily but his eyes are moving around, taking everything in." When Kaoru didn't comment Kenshin continued. "Then look at the way he walks, Sano's relaxed but he's ready to fight if he needs to." Kenshin smiled at her. "He's obviously a fist fighter."

Kaoru shook her head in disbelief. "I can't understand how you notice those things, I see him walking everyday and I don't see that."

The redhead smiled. "Yes, but I've been trained to notice these things," he noticed Misao walking in, chattering loudly and speedily to Aoshi who was walking silently next to her. "Try again, watch Misao this time."

Kaoru did so but the only thing she noticed was Misao's talking and Aoshi's usual vacant expression that usually meant he was trying to listen and failing miserably. Finally she gave up and shook her head.

"You don't see it?" Kenshin asked. Kaoru shook her head, shamefaced. "It's okay, it takes a while to get how to do it," he reassured her, smiling. "The thing about Misao is that while she has the cheery, hyper exterior, Misao still recognizes danger and is able to respond at the drop of a hat, to protect herself." Kenshin tilted his head thoughtfully and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. "I suppose Aoshi's been teaching her recently."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Kaoru asked surprised.

Kenshin turned towards her, eyebrow raised. "Well, he _is_ a ninja isn't he?"

Kaoru stuttered, "W-well yes, but," she paused, "how did you know?"

"Aoshi plainly acts like one, plus-" Kenshin began to explain, but there was an interruption.

"Kamiya! Get over here!"

Kaoru rolled her eyes, which made Kenshin laugh, then stood up and walked over to the group where everyone else was gathered. Kenshin propped his feet against the wooden edge of the bleacher, sighed and repositioned his chin. 'Why did I decide to come to practice?' He asked himself, bored. "Because Hiko wouldn't stop teasing me about it and Kaoru asked me to." Kenshin found himself answering his own question.

"Hello."

Kenshin was disturbed from his thoughts when a familiar calm voice spoke from beside him. The redhead turned to find Aoshi sitting beside him, to his own slight surprise.

"Hi." There was an awkward silence between them as they both found themselves with nothing to say.

"What were you talking about with Kaoru?" Aoshi asked monotonously, watching the practicing members.

Kenshin turned slightly to look at him. "How you can tell a lot about a person by just watching them."

"Really."

"Mm-hmm, take Misao for instance, she's carefree and energetic, but can recognize danger while protecting herself and others." Kenshin looked away from Aoshi, "I suppose that's your doing," he mused.

For once Aoshi looked surprised, his ice blue eyes carefully studying his companion. "What do you mean by that?"

The redhead smirked slightly, "Well you're part of the Oniwaban right?" When Aoshi didn't answer except to glare icily, Kenshin continued, "And only that, but you're the Okashira of the Oniwaban."

Aoshi hissed and instantaneously drew a kodachi that he held at Kenshin's throat. "You're a spy, aren't you? Tell me who you're spying for."

Kenshin smiled and waved his hands. "Calm down Aoshi. I'm not a spy, for anyone."

"Liar." Aoshi hissed and pressed harder. "I will not allow the Oniwaban to be endangered by someone like you."

In a quick movement Kenshin had tilted his head back and drew his own sword to hold Aoshi's in place. "I'm not lying, Aoshi. I work for no one."

Aoshi merely looked back at him behind the crossed swords, not answering but waiting for Kenshin to.

The redhead broke the block and sheathed his sword. "I just know from my past dealings with the Oniwaban." Kenshin explained, hiding behind his bangs.

"No outsiders deal with the Oniwaban." Aoshi denied, sheathing his kodachi.

Kenshin let his eyes become amber and looked up at his tall companion, smirking. "You sure about that?"

Aoshi stared at him, eyebrows raised. "You're the-!"

"Please don't say it." Kenshin held out a hand to stop him, letting his eyes revert to their usual color. "I don't want anyone else to know."

Aoshi muttered angrily. "Why didn't I recognize you?" He looked piercingly at the redhead, who smiled innocently back. "You look different," he accused.

Kenshin tilted his head. "What do you mean Aoshi?"

"Your eyes, face, hair and expressions aren't the same." Aoshi observed, and then sighed when Kenshin blinked. "Your eyes are a different color, your scar is gone and you're wearing your hair differently."

"Aren't you the observant one?" Kenshin commented smiling. "Sure that's all true, but it doesn't matter."

"And why does the Battousai," Kenshin glared at him, "carry a sakabato instead of a proper katana?" Aoshi asked flatly.

Kenshin's eyes narrowed, "That's none of your business Aoshi," he snapped. Aoshi began to repeat his question but Hike's voice carried across the room to them.

"Hey, baka!"

They both looked up and Kenshin sighed.

"Get over here!" Hiko shouted again, and this time the redhead nodded to Aoshi, stood and walked over to stand next to his Uncle. "Yes Shishou?"

Hiko glared down at him. "Don't you mock me boy." Kenshin only smiled back. "I want you to walk around the group and make sure that everyone is doing the moves right, correct them if they're wrong," he smirked. "I trust you can do such an easy task?"

Kenshin rolled his eyes. "Yes Uncle," he answered, quietly enough so no one else could hear and moved away to the left side of the group before Hiko could comment further.

"Alright everyone, begin on my command." Hiko shouted to the group of second years, then looked at Kenshin who nodded. "Begin!" He yelled, and watched as the students began going through each move of the kata they were working on, most of them avoiding or watching Hiko's eyes.

Kenshin walked down the first column of students, observing them and correcting if it was needed. It was slightly awkward since these people were his classmates, whom he didn't know very well, yet here he was correcting their mistakes in a sport they hadn't known he knew about.

As he walked up the second column Misao waved and grinned at him which distracted her and caused her to drop her shinai. Hiko turned and glared at her. Misao mouthed 'sorry!' then picked the shinai up again and reassumed the position. Kenshin stopped next to her and gently adjusted Misao's grip while murmuring in her ear. "Don't worry about Uncle, he just gets annoyed easily. You're doing great."

Then he moved away from her with an easy smile, catching Hiko's attention and smirking mockingly at him.

As he made his way up the second row to last row, after getting an icy glare from Hiko and a silent threat to mind himself along with it, Kenshin saw Kaoru wink at him while easily keeping up with the others. He made a close examination of the girl's fighting behind her back, and realized that he thought of her as a friend, something he had never had before, and perhaps even something more.

When he drew level with her, Kenshin smiled at the girl, as close to a real smile as he could get, and waved. Since she was doing the moves correctly he had no excuse to stop and talk with her, so he whispered 'good job' in her ear and continued walking.

Finally he had finished making his round around the advanced group. After waving back to a grinning Sano he had, instead of resuming his spot next standing next to his Uncle, walked over to the group of first years who were chaotically practicing basic kendo moves against their classmates.

As he paused in front of them to watch, many stopped practicing and turned towards him as they realized he was there. When he had all of their attention Kenshin smiled and stepped forward. "Hi, I'm Himura Kenshin, Hiko's 'unofficial' assistant," he introduced himself and the students gave a chorus of 'hi''s.

"Now I want you to form two lines facing each other, then wait for my instruction." There was a minor cacophony as the students separated into two groups while talking amongst themselves and many shinai clacking together. Finally they were organized and Kenshin spoke again.

"Good, now we're going to practice a few basic moves. The line with their backs to the bleachers will start. We'll begin with shinai-head hits." Kenshin announced then moved so he was standing next to the starting line. "Shinai ready," everyone raised theirs, "bows," Kenshin paused to cast an eye over them, "begin!"

He watched as they began hitting, and ranked them by skill in his head while noticing how well they attacked or reacted. Near the middle of the attacking line, Kenshin noticed a boy was gripping his shinai wrong.

"Your grip is wrong, move your right hand up a little," he instructed as he stepped up beside the boy and gently adjusted the boy's hand. To Kenshin's relief his hand stayed where it was after the redhead let go. "Good, now lower your left, the pinky should be right at the end of the handle." The boy moved his hand to where it was supposed to be and Kenshin nodded agreeably. "That's it. You want to keep your hands apart so the shinai absorbs more of the impact than your hands. Now keep practicing but don't forget your hand positions."

The pair began practicing again and Kenshin continued walking down the line. Near the end, he noticed a pair of students were having a hard time because they weren't moving correctly. The redhead rushed up to them and immediately asked for them to stop after they stepped back to stare at him confusedly.

Kenshin sighed and walked up next to the attacker. "Alright, now the reason your hits aren't working is because you're not performing them correctly. First of all, your grip isn't right and because of that, your shinai isn't balanced." He helped the student shift his hands to the right places. "See? Isn't that better?" Kenshin smiled when the boy nodded eagerly.

"Good, now the second thing is that you're hitting your opponents weapon badly, and because it doesn't feel right to you, you're hitting harder then you should," he put his hands on top of the boys, "Alright, now put your shinai up against his," Kenshin instructed the other boy who meekly obeyed. "See how this position feels uncomfortable?" He asked both of them who nodded again, "but if you merely switch sides," Kenshin moved his shinai to the opposite side of the other boy's."Isn't this better?"

The boy facing him nodded. "Yeah, but what does that have to do with how we fight?" He asked impatiently.

"Not everything's about fighting," Kenshin muttered under his breath, "Well we're getting to that. Now try the moves again, but try the things I told you," he instructed, then watched as they stepped up to the line, bowed and raised their shinai. The student in front of Kenshin attacked, hitting his opponent's shinai, then the top of his head. Kenshin quickly noticed how slowly the other boy had reacted to the harsh blow and worried.

The redhead realized they were waiting for him to respond. "Sorry. That was better. Just remember that now you don't have to hit so hard because you're using more of your strength." Kenshin turned to the other boy. "And don't hesitate so much before you block, otherwise you will be injured by his attack," he instructed, and watched as they tried again, taking everything he had told them into account. They stopped, breathing heavily but smiling at their improved swordsmanship.

"Good job, that was much better. Now practice until you can do it correctly five times in a row, then switch and do it again." They nodded and began again while Kenshin walked back up the line so he stood in front and addressed all the students. "Alright, everyone stop for a moment."

The students did so, lowering their shinai and turning to look at him. He smiled. "You're doing really well. Now just do ten more per each person and rest." They nodded and Kenshin walked back over to the second years, stopping next to Hiko. "What's the matter Uncle? You seem upset about something," he observed, smiling innocently at the man who glared down at him.

"I heard you call yourself my 'assistant,' and let me remind you that I never said you were and I nearly had to drag you here today." Hiko growled, glancing over at the students in front of him who were still practicing.

"I said 'unofficial' assistant Hiko, there's a difference. Oh, and you didn't bring or drag me here, I walked with Kaoru." Kenshin said, smirking up at his Uncle.

"Alright." Hiko commented smirking, and then turned to address the group in front of him. "Stop and listen to me!" He shouted, causing Kenshin to cover his sensitive ears and the students to lower their shinai and look at their instructor. "I can't believe anyone actually listens to you." Kenshin commented quietly, but Hiko heard and moved to hit him, except the redhead easily dodged away.

The older man smirked as he waved a hand at his nephew and announced, "Kenshin here is going to demonstrate the kata you've been working on, so you can see what it's _supposed_ to look like." Hiko turned towards Kenshin who was looking dazed. "If it's done correctly of course."

Kenshin stared up at his Uncle with wide violet eyes. "Uncle, I won't do this! You're putting me on the spot again," he whispered angrily.

Hiko glanced down at his deshi, his expression stern. "You can and will do this baka," he smirked then leaned down and whispered, "Or should I tell Kaoru about how you used to wet the bed, or how you got lost in the mall, or how about-"

"Fine!" Kenshin huffed angrily, "But you owe me one Uncle." The redhead informed Hiko before taking the katana that was offered to him.

He stepped away from his Uncle, and took a deep breath before closing his eyes and settling in the initial stance. Just as he was about to start Kenshin felt the pressure of a touch on the hand that was gripping the hilt of the sword, which was slid into a loophole in his belt and he opened his eyes to find Hiko's hand on top of his. "What, Shishou?" Kenshin asked surprised.

"Remember baka, slow and steady. I want them to observe you, not lose you." Hiko instructed, grinning.

Kenshin rolled his eyes. "Yes Shishou, I know," he settled into the shudan stance again, "but remember that you owe me." Without letting his Uncle respond, the redhead closed his eyes and steadied his breathing, gripping the hilt of his sword reassuringly.

Then, in one fluid motion he drew the sword and began going through each move in the kata, easily flowing from one stance into another. For five to ten minutes he had the students enthralled as he flawlessly performed the kata in front of them.

When he sheathed the sword, stopped moving and opened his eyes, Kenshin saw his classmates staring at him and Hiko smirking. Feeling slightly uncomfortable the redhead blushed as he turned to hear his Uncle's reaction.

The older man leaned down and whispered mockingly, "I see all that extensive training has paid off," he paused before saying, "It was good deshi, well done."

Kenshin nodded, accepting the rare compliment. "Thanks Shishou."

Noticing that many of the students were still staring, Hiko turned to them. "What you just saw is what the kata is supposed to look like when you put all the movements you've been learning together," he continued talking for a few more minutes until Kenshin, who had exchanged several rolled-eyes with Sano and Kaoru, looked up at Hiko while tapping _obviously_ on his watch.

Finally Hiko noticed Kenshin and lightly cuffed the boy on the back of his head. "We've gone overtime today; all of you put your shinai back on the shelf then leave me alone," he turned away from the group to glare down at the redhead.

The students moved towards the wall shelves in a rush, with a lot of roughhousing and talking. Finally all of the students had gathered their things and left the gym, leaving Hiko, Kenshin, Kaoru and Sano alone inside.

Sano walked up to Kenshin who was talking to Kaoru. "Hey man, that was so cool!" He slapped Kenshin on the back, nearly making the much-shorter redhead fall forward. "I wish I could move like that."

"Thanks Sano." Kenshin commented, smiling. He glanced over at Kaoru, then back to Sano again. "By the way Sano, you should rebind the wound on your shoulder from your fight from last night."

After Sano stared at him, with his mouth hanging wide open, Kaoru smiled at her friend and mocked, "You better hurry rooster or you'll miss your wake-up call."

Sano opened his mouth to say something smart-aleck-ish back when his cell phone went off. He pulled it out of his pocket, flipped it open to read the message, cursed, and ran out of the gym yelling his goodbyes.

"He's late for dinner again," Kaoru laughed, "his mother will kill him," she turned to smile at Kenshin, "literally."

Kenshin opened his mouth to respond when he saw a familiar person standing at the door. "Saito," he hissed, eyes narrowing. Kaoru, surprised by his tone, turned to look as Saito strode across the floor reeking of self-importance to stop next to Hiko, who glared at the wolf and engaged him in a heated conversation.

After glaring at Saito, Kenshin turned back to Kaoru, his eyes pure violet and smiling mischievously. "Kaoru, what would you say to a little spar?"

She stared at him. "Here?"

"Where better than a dojo?"

"Now?"

Kenshin nodded. "Mm-hmm. Come on, get a shinai or katana and lets start." Kaoru looked worriedly at him then walked over and grabbed a shinai off the wall. Afterwards, she came back to stand a few yards away from the redhead who smiled and placed a hand on the hilt of his sakabato.

Kaoru stood in a ready stance and waited for Kenshin to strike. But the redhead only smirked at her and called, "Don't worry Kaoru, I'll go easy on you. I'm aware that you're not up to my level."

She stared wide-eyed, then narrowed her eyes into an ice-cold glare. "I'm not at all worried Kenshin, I'll easily beat you down." Kaoru declared, and then broke into a run, rushing Kenshin who smiled and disappeared from her view.

"Behind you."

Kaoru turned quickly to block and attack the redhead. "Better." Kenshin commented, easily dodging her shinai. She smiled at him, appreciating the compliment, and then quickly moved to block the multiple attacks she was receiving from the redhead. Kaoru managed to block several of them, some barely stopping the blade, until one snuck by her shinai and Kenshin lightly tapped her shoulder with the flat of his blade.

"One," he said smiling playfully, but Kaoru knew she was holding up well against him. "Try again." Kenshin advised as they resumed their starting positions.

Again, Kaoru was the first to break her stance and rush at Kenshin, but this time the redhead also moved and their weapons met in the middle. Over their locked blades Kenshin winked at her and broke the stalemate, stepping back.

Kaoru didn't even get to catch her breath before the redhead was attacking again. With more difficulty this time she blocked them, only receiving a light hit on her left side. She attacked him several times with more determination each time but Kenshin still managed to block all of them.

They separated again to stand opposite each other, watching, when by some unspoken command they started running at the other, preparing for an attack.

_"What the hell do you baka think you're doing_?" Hiko's voice boomed angrily at them.

Kenshin slid to a stop, sheathing his sword, but Kaoru's momentum was carrying her forward, slipping on the polished wood floor, and he barely had time to grab her by the back of her shirt and pull Kaoru backwards before she fell face-first onto the nice, shiny floor.

Kaoru wiped her forehead on her sleeve, breathing heavily. "Thanks Kenshin," she smiled.

"No problem." The redhead replied and Kaoru noticed, to her annoyance, that he wasn't breathing hard at all. "Oh dear." Kenshin murmured as Hiko stomped angrily towards them.

"What were you two doing?" The taller man asked icily, his face set in a grim frown.

Kenshin smiled innocently at him. "Just sparring a little Shishou." Hiko glared coldly at him. "I could see that baka, but why were you endangering Kaoru?" He asked, his eyes flicking over to the girl.

"Now listen here!" Kaoru protested, "I am the assistant master of-"

"I wasn't endangering her Uncle, I knew perfectly well what I was doing. Plus I was fighting more easily than I usually would." Kenshin protested, his eyes now slightly flecked with amber.

"Sure, but what if you had lost yourself? If you had, you would have _hurt_ her and endangered everyone else." Hiko argued, pointing a finger at his baka deshi.

Kenshin lowered his eyes and looked away. "I wouldn't have gone that far Uncle. I would catch myself before that happened."

"Kenshin, I-" Kaoru tried to interrupt.

"You would try to, but what if you couldn't? Would you make everyone else deal with a hitokiri again?"

Kenshin's eyes flashed, fully amber. "That's in the past Uncle, and that's where it's going to stay."

"Hiko, we-" Kaoru tried again, but they both ignored her.

"Lets hope it does." Hiko smirked, disguising his worry of what would happen if Kenshin snapped again.

"He-llo!" Kaoru shouted desperately and this time the relatives heard her. "Yes Kaoru?" Kenshin asked politely. Kaoru glared at him, fingering her shinai. "My brother has now been waiting to be picked up for nearly an hour. I suggest we go get him before I, and he, get angry."

Kenshin and Hiko exchanged looks, both wanting to be spared from Kaoru's wrath.

"Alright, let's go then." The redhead agreed and quickly grabbed the car keys from his Uncle. He held them up, jingling them together, "I'll drive."

Hiko groaned and rubbed his forehead. "We're doomed."

* * *

Soooo... ya like it? Hope so and if anyone thought the spar between Kenshin and Kaoru was iffy... yea, I know. 

Kay, one more point I'm still getting my Japan photos uploaded onto my website, so they should be ready soon. Sorry I'm taking so long on about, oh lets see, everything.

Thanks to my reviewers for last chapter:

Last Wish, ELLIE, Yanikei, ruruken, enchanted, Kristy andruruken

One more point... I was thinking about doing a profile thingy in my profile... please tell me what you think about it!

dewa mata

mijichan


	10. Chapter 10

Kendo Club

CH 10

We're to chapter 10 already! Watch out, we've hit a landmark! hee hee hee Well, who knows how long this'll keep going for, but hopefully awhile. Truthfully, this chapter is mostly just a filler, except for the last part. Next chapter BIG plot turn... but you'll just have to wa-ait!

Please enjoy reading and please review!

* * *

Kaoru, Kenshin and Hiko walked out of the gym into the school parking lot, which was nearly empty of cars and people. Kenshin walked slightly ahead of the others, the keys jingling from the key ring hanging off his finger, then stopped next to a dark green Camry.

"Here we are, climb in Kaoru." Kenshin said smiling, then unlocked the car, climbed in and started the engine. He looked back over his shoulder to find Kaoru buckled into the back seat, then turned forward again to see his uncle trying to squeeze into the passenger seat. The redhead had to cover his mouth with a hand to force himself not to smirk or laugh.

After his uncle was mostly comfortable and buckled in, Kenshin put the car in reverse, his foot on the brake and announced happily, "Lets go!" he slowly backed out of the parking space, "Kaoru, you'll have to give me directions." Kenshin told Kaoru as he changed to drive.

"Hold onto your seat." Hiko recommended, shifting uncomfortably in the cloth chair. Kenshin took his foot off the brake and pressed down on the gas pedal, causing the engine to rev and the car to blast out of the parking lot.

"Slower boy, are you trying to kill us all?" Hiko scowled, pressing himself into the chair. "Oh my gosh!" Kaoru exclaimed as they abruptly stopped at a stoplight.

"Relax, Uncle." Kenshin glanced over at him as the light turned green and he sped down the street. "I'm a wonderful driver Hiko, besides," he grinned, "you have insurance."

Hiko scowled at his nephew, then called to Kaoru, "Kamiya. Tell this baka the directions so we can get out of this vehicle quicker."

"I can't believe you two don't have a directional device in this car." Kaoru muttered softly. Kenshin laughed. "Are you kidding me? This car is older then old." He glanced over at Hiko who was looking very annoyed. "Much older then Uncle here."

Kaoru sighed. "Right. As for the directions, he's at Choshu Middle School on Market Street." She informed the driver who nodded and took off down the street again.

"I know where that is." The redhead said shortly, then suddenly turned down a side street and went barreling down that. "Did you go to Choshu?" Kaoru asked curiously, realizing she didn't know this route to her brother's school. She was surprised to see Kenshin flinch at her question, and then respond quietly, "No."

* * *

The rest of the drive was quiet as the redhead soared up a hill and rocketed down another side street, his eyes narrowed but distant with Hiko scowling. Finally, the Camry screeched to a halt in front of the middle school, and the engine turned off.

Kaoru glanced at her two companions, but when neither of them moved she took off her seatbelt and opened the door. She hesitated outside the car, looking in at Kenshin's distant expression. "Hey Kenshin?" She asked hesitantly.

The redhead started and turned to look back at her. "Yes Kaoru?" She smiled at him. "Do you want to come with me? You can meet my little brother." Kenshin looked over at Hiko who scowled back, then back to Kaoru. "Why not?" He said, climbing out of the car and walking around to stand next to her.

She smiled at him and they turned around to walk up the step of the middle school and stop in front of two double doors. A young boy with black, spiky hair was sitting alone on a bench beside the doors.

When he saw them the boy jumped off the bench and ran towards them, shouting angrily, "Oi buso! What took you so long?" Kaoru glared at him as the boy stopped in front of her, panting and scowling.

"Well sor-ry your Highness, but I had kendo practice, which you knew about, and it ran a little late today." Kaoru said sarcastically, making a small mock bow as she finished.

"A little late? I've been waiting for hours!" He complained, gesturing wildly with his hands. Kenshin leaned forward to whisper in Kaoru's ear, "It looks like he's already cranky."

The boy rose on his tiptoes to study the redhead. "Who're you, buso's new boyfriend?" Kaoru choked and began coughing harshly while Kenshin patted her on the back. When she could breathe again Kaoru pulled a bokken out of nowhere and began chasing her brother around with it.

"YAHIKO I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" She yelled, hitting her brother on the head. Yahiko scowled, "Stop hitting me buso! That _hurts_!"

The two siblings continued to chase each other around, screaming and hitting, until Kenshin's patience wore out and as Kaoru ran by he ran up to her, grabbed the top of her shinai and held her arm, managing to stop the girl in her tracks. When her brother realized he was no longer being chased he stopped and turned back.

"Kaoru, we should leave for home," the redhead smiled, "or you might miss dinner." Kaoru turned confused, "W-what?" Kenshin squatted down and held his hand out to Yahiko. "Hello Yahiko, I'm Kenshin Himura, a friend of your sister's." The young boy looked doubtfully at him, "So you're not buso's boyfriend?"

Above them Kaoru groaned and looked ready to hit her brother again. "No, no I'm not." He answered smiling. "I apologize for kendo practice running late, my uncle wasn't watching the clock."

"Doesn't matter." Yahiko shrugged, "happens a lot." Kaoru looked like a light bulb had gone off above her head. "Hey Kenshin, could you give me a couple tips about that kata we're working on?" When the redhead looked up at her she added, "It's just that you were really good with the demonstration Hiko had you do, and I just thought-"

Kenshin smiled reassuringly, "Of course Kaoru, I'll help if I can." Yahiko spoke doubtfully as the redhead stood up. "Hey Kenshin, if you're not my sister's boyfriend, then why did you come with her to pick me up?"

"He came, because I've been staying over at his house for the past couple days." Kaoru explained. "He was kind enough to offer me a place to stay after an accident at work."

"Kind," Kenshin whispered softly to himself, looking distantly away from the siblings. "Accident?" Yahiko blurted. "You're okay right?" Kaoru laughed at how worried he looked and leaned down to ruffle her brothers hair. "I'm fine Yahiko, Kenshin and his Uncle have been taking good care of me." She smiled at the redhead, then noticed his distant expression. "Kenshin?" Kaoru asked worriedly.

Kenshin started and rubbed his eyes, "Oro?" He asked questioningly. Yahiko laughed, "'Oro'? What kind of word is that?" Kaoru hit him on the head with her bokken, "Yahiko!" She reprimanded, but couldn't hide the worry in her eyes about Kenshin.

"It's quite alright Kaoru." Kenshin commented, then winked at the spiky haired boy. "We should go, Uncle's sure to be impatient with us for taking so long."

"Oh, right." Kaoru agreed.

Yahiko jumped, "Oh no! My bag!" He exclaimed, running back to the bench and grabbed a backpack and a small duffel bag. Soon he was back, and commented, "Kay, ready." They boy threw his backpack over his shoulder and dragged the bag on the ground.

Kenshin quickly grabbed the duffel bag and hefted it onto his shoulder "Let's go then," he proclaimed, ushering the siblings down the steps and over to the car. The redhead threw the bag into the trunk and climbed into the drivers seat as Yahiko and Kaoru did the same in the back seat.

"Took you long enough." Hiko commented as his nephew started the car. Kenshin rolled his eyes, "Yahiko had to get his things and we made introductions." He explained, pulling away from the curb and speeding down the street. "Which we need to repeat," Kenshin realized out loud, then looked at Yahiko in the rear mirror, "Yahiko, this is my uncle Hiko Seijiro. Uncle, this is Kaoru's younger brother Yahiko Kamiya." The redhead introduced, pointing at them.

"Get your hand back on the wheel." Hiko instructed sternly, glaring at the driver who abruptly stopped at a stoplight. "Wait, if you two are related then why do you have different last names?" Yahiko asked curiously, leaning forward in his seat, stretching the seatbelt.

Kenshin glanced back at him in the mirror. "I kept my fathers last name and Hiko is my uncle on my mothers side." He explained, rocketing down the street.

"I still can't believe they're related." Kaoru told her brother, glancing up at the pair in the front seat. Yahiko nodded understandably. "Watch your mouth girl." Hiko instructed annoyed while Kenshin rolled his eyes at Kaoru in the mirror.

Yahiko started, "Hey wait, if your Kenshin's uncle, then you're also the kendo club instructor right?" Hiko groaned, "Now what did you say boy?" He asked Kenshin annoyed. "Nothing." The redhead responded secretively, causing Hiko to groan. "Yes I am." He answered Yahiko who positively beamed.

"That's so cool!" The spiky haired boy exclaimed. "When I get to the high school can I join too?" Hiko looked skeptical. "How old are you?" Yahiko answered surprised, "Twelve."

"I doubt I'll still be the instructor in two years," he smirked at Kenshin, "Red here is going to drive me to an early grave." Kenshin's gaze flickered over to his uncle before refocusing on the road.

"Don't you practice the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu sword style Yahiko? Along with your sister?" Yahiko shifted uncomfortably, "Yes, but I want to learn more! I want to be better!"

"Listen brat, just because your younger then me doesn't mean that you can't learn and use Kamiya Kasshin." Kaoru scolded, folding her arms. "Kendo club is just for practice."

Hiko growled, "Even if it's just 'practice' doesn't mean-"

"We're here!" Kenshin announced, pulling into the driveway. He shut off the car and walked around to grab things out of the trunk. "Kaoru, Yahiko you go inside, here are the keys." Pulling the car keys off the key ring, he handed the latter to the girl.

Kaoru took them, smiling. "Thanks Kenshin!" She grabbed the back of Yahiko's shirt and dragged him towards the front door. Kenshin pulled his and Kaoru's backpacks out and was wrestling with Yahiko's duffel bag when he realized his uncle was standing near him at the side of the car. "What Uncle?" He asked annoyed.

Hiko smirked back at him. "You're becoming attached to her." Kenshin's eyes hardened as he glanced up at his shishou then continued tugging on the strap. "Maybe."

"Just what you said you wouldn't do." The taller man moved to Kenshin's side and easily took the bag from the trunk, handing it off to his nephew. "That's none of your business Uncle." The redhead said icily, then walked to the front door and through, soon followed by Hiko.

* * *

Inside the house Kaoru and Yahiko were arguing about who was sleeping on the couch or the bed in the guest room. "The bed's mine brat, and there's no way you can change it!" Kaoru declared, hitting her chest with her thumb.

"No way! It's mine!" Yahiko protested, gesturing with his hands. His sister scowled and glared at him.

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

Kenshin stepped in between them, throwing the duffel bag at Yahiko's feet. "Wait, isn't there some other way you can settle this without fighting?" He asked, tiredly.

"We can settle this ourselves Kenshin." Kaoru argued, eyeing Yahiko angrily and it was obvious her shinai would appear soon. "Move." Kenshin smiled grimly. "I'm sorry, but I can't." He paused thoughtfully. "I know how we can settle this." The redhead dug in his pocket and came up with a penny. "Yahiko, heads or tails?"

"What! Why does he get to choose?" Kaoru asked, then quieted by a look from Kenshin.

"Tails."

The redhead flipped the penny and caught it in his hand then placed it on the top of his other hand. "Heads." He observed.

"What!"

"Kaoru, it seems you get the guest room." Kenshin smiled slightly as she let out a shout of joy and Yahiko groaned. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go start dinner." He began walking towards the kitchen.

"What? Why are you making it?" Yahiko protested, as if he were outraged. Kaoru hit him on the head.

Kenshin grimaced mockingly. "Because if Kaoru cooks the food will burn or we may get food poisoning." The teen girl gave a cry of outrage and rushed at Kenshin, holding the shinai above her head. "What's that supposed to mean?" She yelled as she neared the redhead. He easily dodged to one side and as Kaoru rushed by, he grabbed the back of her shinai to stop the girl.

"You know it's true Kaoru." Kenshin teased lightly, letting go and backing away slightly. "What about your uncle?" Yahiko asked curiously. The redhead made a face, "When Uncle cooks the food becomes crunchy or burnt so he adds sake to make it taste better. I basically grew up on sake enriched food."

Kaoru shook her head. "I can't believe that man sometimes." This made Kenshin chuckle. "It would take us more then one night for me to tell you all the stories I know that involve my uncle. But instead, I'll go make dinner." He walked over to the kitchen and disappeared inside.

"Just wait until you taste Kenshin's cooking, it's amazing." Kaoru told her little brother, ruffling his hair.

* * *

After dinner, when the dishes had been cleared by Kenshin and the glaring between Hiko and Yahiko had ended, they all sat down again around the table so Hiko, as he had said, could explain the house rules to their, 'unexpected and annoying guests who have booked themselves into my home without permission, as if we're a motel.'

Kenshin rolled his eyes at this and reassuredthem, "You don't really have to follow them, Uncle just likes to feel authoritive."

"You should listen baka, you have a part in this as well." Hiko responded shortly, glaring at the redhead who frowned.

"If you're not going to tell us the rules then I'm going to go play DDR." Yahiko announced, starting to rise from his seat. "Sit _down_ boy." Hiko ordered, glaring sideways at him. The redhead sighed and blew his bangs off of his face, "Uncle you have no right to order him around, he's not related to you."

Hiko turned to smirk at his nephew, "and since when have you had any consideration for the law?" The redhead's eyes narrowed and hardened, then he lowered his head so his face was shadowed.

Kaoru turned to look at him, worried by his sudden change in mood. She felt like hitting Hiko over the head sometimes when he acted like this, and especially when the man hurt Kenshin, whether physically or otherwise. "Are you going to stare at the baka all day or listen to me when I'm talking to you, Kamiya?" Hiko asked gruffly, causing Kaoru to start guiltily.

"Like it's such a hard decision." Yahiko muttered into his hand, glancing away from the annoyed kendo instructor. Kaoru quickly spun to hit her brother on the head with a random fork and shout his name in anger. "Ya-hi-ko!" She exclaimed, pronouncing each syllable.

"Do siblings always fight this much?" Hiko growled annoyed, leaning back in his chair with a loud sigh. The redhead turned slightly to glance at his uncle then turned away again. Finally Hiko said loudly, "Have you two gotten over yourselves yet, or will I have to wait for your majesties permission to speak?"

Kaoru and Yahiko stopped fighting to stare and look at him, poised with their eyes wide. "Huh?" The girl managed to say, lowering her arm.

The man smirked, "Thank you. Now that we can finally start with this, the house rules are simple and direct," Kenshin laughed shortly, "quiet you. First of all, no excessive yelling, shouting or arguing inside this house. Under no circumstances may anyone run around this house. Second,"

"Hey, but Kenshin ran that morning Sano and Misao came over for breakfast and you never told him off!" Kaoru protested, raising her voice.

Hiko smirked openly at her and glanced across the table at his nephew. "Actually I did, for showing off and misusing his skills Kenshin sparred with myself early this morning. _Very_ early." At this the redhead muttered something under his breath, frowned, then looked away. The man shook his head, "baka deshi. Alright, the second rule: no complaining, about anything, at least in my hearing." Hiko sat up straighter, "Of course I can whenever I want."

"Right, cause adults can do anything they want." Yahiko interrupted, scowling. Hiko smirked but didn't comment. "Quiet Yahiko." Kaoru scolded gruffly. "Third rule is that you'll have to help out with chores. There aren't very many but I doubt that you two will let Kenshin do them by himself." Hiko said annoyed.

"As I've done by myself for the last ten or so years." Kenshin commented quietly, still not meeting anyone's eyes. Kaoru looked surprised but was interrupted from talking when Hiko continued.

"Right." Hiko rolled his eyes. "Anyway, we're on number four. Thursdays are laundry days, put yours in a hamper or basket and the baka here will do it for you. But if you forget, you're on your own." Kaoru turned confused towards the redhead, "You do the laundry?" She asked disbelievingly.

He nodded. "Yes, and most of the cooking as well." Kenshin smiled slightly and turned to meet her gaze, his expression still guarded. "Uncle's not very helpful around the house." Yahiko snorted with laughter then covered his mouth. "You're not helping, Yahiko." Kaoru scolded frowning.

"I don't know how I'm going to be able to put up with you two." Hiko commented sourly. "Go on Shishou." Kenshin instructed quietly. "Right, rule five. I will drive you to and from school unless you've talked to me beforehand."

"Why can't Kenshin drive?" Kaoru interrupted, "Or me? We have our licenses." Hiko snickered, "You've risked your lives driving with him twice, do you really want to push your luck? As for you," he told Kaoru, "I haven't seen you drive, but I doubt that you're safe."

Kaoru glared at him and folded her arms across her chest, but kept silent. Hiko bobbed his head at her, "Exactly, thank you for your cooperation. Now the sixth rule is fairly simple so your smaller brains should be able to remember." He said, smirking teasingly.

The siblings rose to the bait. "What's that supposed to mean?" Yahiko shouted, glaring at the older man while Kaoru bared her teeth and replied testily, "You may have lived longer but my memory is undoubtedly better then yours." Hiko laughed, "You two are as bad as my baka deshi. Of course my memory is better then yours because I have more to remember." He leaned back in the chair smirking. "If you want to argue, come up with a better defense. Take a lesson from the redhead over here."

Kaoru glanced at the said teen surprised, she couldn't imagine her soft-spoken and quiet friend arguing with anyone. Except there was that one time when Misao and Sano had visited and Kenshin's eyes had turned amber and they had overheard Hiko and the redhead arguing heatedly in the teens room.

"-be polite and respectful to them when they're visiting. Hiko's voice intruded into her thoughts as she caught the last part of the next rule. "Huh?" She asked, confused. When they all turned to look at her Kaoru added, "I mean, I'm sorry, I didn't hear the first part of what you said."

"Just another example of someone who doesn't listen to me." Hiko growled under his breath at which Kenshin snickered. "What I said, was that the next rule is that when our relatives come, to be polite and respectful while they're visiting." Kaoru smiled, "Like Ishi and little Shinta?" She saw Kenshin curiously shuffle at the sound of his cousin's name, but continued, "he was so cute!" She cried happily.

Hiko rolled his eyes, "Yes Shinta is cute, we all know that." He narrowed his eyes, "may I go on?" The adult didn't wait for them to respond. "Seventh rule, well it isn't really a rule but I'll just call it one, is that Kenshin and I wake up early every morning,"

"Nearly every morning." Kenshin corrected, causing Hiko to turn and glare fiercly, but his deshi just smiled back.

"As I was saying," Hiko continued pointedly, "we wake up early in the morning to spar out in the yard, so if you wake up and neither of us are in the house, wait and then Kenshin here will make breakfast after we're done."

Yahiko sat up in his chair. "Spar? As in _sword _sparring?" He asked excitedly, looking eagerly between the relatives. Hiko looked bored while Kenshin seemed slightly surprised. "Yes, sword sparring." He agreed, speaking clearly.

"I didn't know you practiced swords too!" Yahiko exclaimed awestruck, staring wide-eyed at the red head. Kenshin chuckled quietly. "Yes I do, shishou started teaching me when I was seven." Suddenly his soft smile changed into a frown and his face withdrew into shadow again.

"If you're done gawking we can continue." At Kaoru and Yahiko's groans Hiko added, "There's only one more rule, the most important one." The adult turned slightly to address his nephew. "This goes for you as well baka deshi."

"Hai shishou." Kenshin responded obediently.

Hiko leaned forward, sternly looking the two teens directly in the eye. "If you are not in the house or yard, I must know _exactly_ where you are. If you decide to go somewhere after school, you must call me first and get my permission and tell me where you're going, with who and when you'll be home. Same thing goes for if you decide to go out at night. And _absolutely_, no going out alone."

Kaoru frowned, "Isn't that being a little over-"

"Overprotective?" Hiko asked, cutting her off. Kaoru nodded. "It may be, but there is no way I am losing someone again."

Kenshin made a noise that sounded like he was choking then pushed his chair back and quietly excused himself from the table.

As his nephew walked away from them, Hiko said softly, "Poor kid, he's never really forgiven himself." Kaoru stared at him, turning in her chair. It was and would be, the only time she heard Hiko talk that way.

"For what?"

Hiko arched his eyebrows. "You'll see."

* * *

WAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA! Oh dear am I bad... and y'all have no clue. Tee hee. Next chapter you'll find out, promise ;p

If your interested please check out my profile, I put upa bio of myself so you can tell what I'm like, there's a link to pics from Japan, updated story news and a link to my homepage. Please look!

For those who have commented about how I say 'Saito Hajime' and 'Hiko Seijiro' instead of how their names would be written in proper English, the truth is that I think they sound better the Japanese way then the English way, so yes I do know I'm writing them wrong. I also apologize for any other names I've messed up like that.

Also I'm contemplating writing a fic (maybe a one-shot) based on volume 26 of the manga but post-manga about what would happen if Sano went back to visit his family after everythings finished and four/five years later. Please tell me your thoughts.

If you're looking for new fics to read, I have updated my favorites so please check them out... I'm sure you'll love all of them! I do!

Thanks to those who reviewed:

Draconic, Becky, Kristy, LadyOfWolves (2), ruruken, MikaylaMae and Yanikei

Thanks again!

Please review! I luv you all!

See ya next chapter,

mijichan


	11. Chapter 11

Kendo Club

Ch 11

Wow... we've come so far. GO US! Its all about teamwork guys!

Okay, sry bout that. ;p Im kinda wacky today. Anyway, this is a major plot twist chapter!

From now on NOTHING will be the same! WAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Please read ... and review!

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The next day they went to school as usual and everything seemed completely normal except that Kenshin was quieter and more spaced-out then usual. The school day flew by, filled with boring classes and a disgusting cafeteria lunch. Hiko made an appearance for a few minutes during the lunch period until he claimed that he had to go and attend to more important matters.

Soon the school day was over and the group headed towards the gym for kendo practice. It went by normally, except that by the end Kenshin still hadn't shown up as he promised, or rather as he had been ordered to by Hiko earlier at lunch.

Hiko drove Kaoru and Yahiko back to the house, the spiky-haired boy being cranky again at her tardiness when they finally picked him up. When Kaoru questioned the adult where her redhead friend might was, Hiko snapped at her that Kenshin had no doubtedly forgotten kendo and was probably back at the house cooking dinner at the moment.

But when they got home Kenshin was nowhere to be found, and he hadn't even left a note or message to where he was.

Kaoru began to freak out when she realized that Kenshin was missing, and she noticed in her silent panic that even Hiko looked worried. Yahiko, however, was sitting on the couch absently watching TV. She was surprised at how calm he was, but then again her brother had only known Kenshin for a day or so.

The teen walked over to the adult who had heavily sat down on a dining chair a few minutes before. "Hiko, are you alright?" She asked worriedly, stopping in front of him. He looked up at her, breaking off from his mumbling and spoke clearly. "Something's wrong, he would have called. That baka knows he has to call me if his plans change."

"Maybe he just forgot his phone somewhere." Kaoru tried to reassure him, but after she thought about it, the teen realized that she had seen Kenshin's cell earlier that day.

As if he was reading her mind, Hiko shook his head. "No, even though he's a baka, Kenshin wouldn't forget his phone. He knows to have it with him and to call me." Kaoru opened her mouth to comment, but Yahiko beat her. "I don't get why you two are so worried. He's old enough to take care of himself," the boy scowled, not taking his eyes off the TV.

Hiko smirked, "He's not as responsible as you would think. Kenshin can be quite careless at times." Kaoru looked disbelievingly at him, but he chose to ignore it. "Well there's nothing we can do until he comes back, so we might as well relax and do something else."

Two hours went by and the red-head still hadn't appeared. It took another hour for Hiko to finally give in to his guest's demands and tell Kaoru to go cook dinner. They ate what was salvageable from the remains of what was supposed to be the cheese on toast Kaoru had made.

One hour later found the siblings lounging on the couch watching a movie while Hiko sat at the table staring at the phone. The mentioned movie ended an hour and a half later, leaving Yahiko yawning and sleepy. Kaoru became worried again when the clock ticked over to ten-forty-five.

They all sat quietly staring at nothing until the door quietly opened and a small black hooded figure stepped in then closed the door again. Mutely the person stood in front of the door, not talking or moving further in. Hiko and Kaoru just stared while Yahiko lay dozing on the sofa next to his sister.

Finally the silence was broken when Kaoru leaped off the couch and ran towards the stranger, happily shouting, "Kenshin!" and grinning. But before she could tackle and hug him Hiko yelled, "Stop!" and so she did, staring at him as she stood in place.

Hiko, who had been observing the boy's ki ever since he had arrived, stayed in his chair but calmly instructed the girl, "Kaoru take your brother into the guest bedroom and stay there until I call for you."

The girl pouted, annoyed at him, but obediently walked over to the couch, picked up her brother and, with a last worried look at Kenshin, carried Yahiko into the back room.

Hiko waited until he heard the door click shut then ordered coldly, "Come here boy." Kenshin silently obeyed him, trudging his way across the carpet wearily before stopping in front of his uncle, the red-head's eyes and face still hidden by the hood pulled over his head.

"What happened baka deshi? Why are you home so late and why didn't you call?"

When Kenshin didn't respond after what seemed to be an innumerable amount of minutes Hiko grabbed the boy and began roughly shaking him saying, "Answer me Kenshin. Kenshin!" While he was shaking his nephew the hood fell back and Hiko let go of the boy and sat back with a soft gasp.

The boy's entire appearance had changed. His normally flame-red hair was so caked with dirt and dust that it looked more coffee brown then red. Kenshin's usual alert lavender eyes were dull and vacant, his head tilted as if he were gazing at the floor underneath Hiko's chair. Then, to top it all off, there was a deep, red cross-shaped scar cutting diagonally across his left cheek.

Hiko looked sadly at his nephew. "They've finally caught up with you, after all this time." After a pause of silence the man stood up and put a hand around the boys shoulders. "Well, let's get you cleaned up at least." He led Kenshin down the hall and into the bathroom.

When Kenshin still didn't respond to any of insults or his tries at verbal jousting Hiko picked up and threw a sponge at his nephew, who dodged and finally looked up at him. Hiko noted hopefully that the boy seemed slightly more alert then before. "Oro?" He commented, eyes wide with confusion.

Hiko scowled at him. "At least I got a response out of you. Now will you tell me the cause of you not coming home until this quarter to eleven?"

Kenshin flinched slightly as his uncle began undressing him then moved away to fill the bathtub. "I, I don't know what to say." He responded quietly, not making eye contact with the adult. Hiko growled silently and helped the boy into the warm water then started to wash him, much to the red-head's dislike.

"Uncle, I can wash myself you know." He retorted quietly, without much of his usual annoyance. Hiko lightly cuffed him on the back of his head, but instead of protesting Kenshin winced and put a hand to the place Hiko had hit him. "What's wrong now?" Hiko asked, masking his worry. But Kenshin shook his head, "It's nothing Hiko, not important."

Hiko scowled with dislike and started washing the boy's hair. "You need to cut your hair boy," he muttered annoyed, "I don't know how you can stand having it so long. No wonder you get mistaken for a woman." Kenshin didn't respond, instead he sat in the bathtub letting his uncle scrub his hair.

"Tell me what happened baka, stop avoiding the subject." Hiko ordered roughly, as he drenched the redhead with water. Kenshin sighed and absently rubbed his arms.

"After school I was on my way to kendo practice when Saito stopped me in the hall and demanded a fight. I don't know why he picked the of all times, and I tried to talk him out of it but you know how stubborn he can be. Our fight ended in a draw although both of us were exhausted and had a few cuts and bruises. Afterwards I picked up my backpack and started to walk home, mostly by taking the side streets."

Kenshin shivered as his uncle drenched him with water once again, then pulled the plug from the bottom of the tub and helped the redhead to stand and step out onto the floor.

"I must have been more tired then I thought because I didn't sense a car pulling up beside me until I saw it out of the corner of my eye. By that time it was too late to run, more then half a dozen men had jumped out of the car and surrounded me. I tried to fight them off but one got behind me to hold a rag drenched with chloroform over my mouth and nose, it was just a few seconds before I passed out."

There was a brief pause in Kenshin narrative as Hiko helped him pull his pajamas on and retied his hair in a low ponytail.

"Well?" Hiko asked probingly as he hung up the towel. Kenshin nodded. "I woke up in a small, dark room with no way to get out. My hands were tied behind me and my ankles were loosely tied as well. There wasn't any way to tell how much time had passed and I was alone for a while until the door opened and someone came in."

The redhead closed his eyes, trying to block out the sudden wave of emotions that were threatening to overtake him. Hiko stood patiently beside him, observing the boy and trying to block out the pained and lost feeling of his ki.

Kenshin sighed and continued talking, with his eyes still closed. "It was, it was Katsura-san. He came in and shut the door behind him. There was someone outside, probably a guard." He opened his eyes but wouldn't look at Hiko, instead staring at the wall just beyond his shoulder, and spoke as if in a trance.

"Katsura-san smiled, walked up and stood in front of me…"

_Kenshin looked straight ahead as his former employer knelt down in front of him, smiling._

"_Welcome back Himura, it's so wonderful to see you again." Katsura greeted, observing the slight changes in his top hitokiri. The redheads eyes flickered over him then away again._

"_I haven't come back Katsura-san, you had me kidnapped and brought here." Kenshin corrected, trying to surreptiously loosen the bindings on his wrists._

_Katsura smiled again, annoying the redhead. "Let's not call it 'kidnapping' Himura," he put his hand on top of Kenshin's head, "I merely wanted to see you again."_

_Kenshin made an uncomittive noise and looked away, displacing the other man's hand. Katsura let his hand drop to his side and frowned at him, "Don't be difficult Himura, that just makes this harder." The redhead snickered and glanced up at his former commander._

"_What do you want from me Katsura-san? Why did you bring me here? I doubt it was just to talk." Kenshin demanded, glaring slightly up at the man. Katsura frowned then laughed grimly, "I never could hide much from you Himura."_

_Kenshin studied the man, trying to ignore the sickening feeling growing in his stomach, 'please don't say it, please don't say it,' he pleaded silently._

"_Alright, to tell the truth, I need you back." Katsura explained then looked hopefully at the redhead who had become very pale. "You were always the best person I had. After you deserted Makoto took your place but he wasn't the same." The man sighed loudly. "And now that Shishio, Soujiro and Hajime have also deserted, I have no one left." He smiled at the red-head who was staring at the ground. "That's where you come in, I-"_

"_I'm not killing again Katsura-san." Kenshin interrupted, looking determinedly up at him. "I've had enough of that."_

_Katsura sighed softly. "Why?"_

_Kenshin looked away again, "I have a safe home and a family and group of friends who care for me," he laughed softly. "What more could I want."_

"_I'm sorry then, Himura," Katsura said apologetically and made a hand motion behind his back at the guard. The man nodded and walked into the room then stopped to kneel behind Kenshin._

_The redhead looked up surprised then began fidgeting and trying to loosen the ropes when he saw a needle in the guards hand filled with clear liquid. But it was no use, the knots were too tight and he couldn't move at all._

_Katsura watched sadly as the guard quickly cleaned a spot on Himura's upper left arm and then the redhead stopped (fidgeting) as the liquid flowed into his body. Then, just as Himura sat limply in place, blinking rapidly to try and fight off the impending darkness, Katsura leaned forward, took a dagger from underneath his jacket and carefully drew the famous cross-scar on the boys cheek._

_Kenshin slowly raised his head to look at his former commander with dull eyes, then only had time to hear the man say, "I'm sorry Himura," before he blacked out._

"…When I woke up I was laying on the sidewalk, wrapped in that cloak. After I realized where I was, I stood up shakily and slowly made my way here."

Hiko stared at his nephew as the boy climbed onto his bed and crawled under the covers. He had had no idea that one person could suffer so much in a few short hours. Especially Kenshin. The boy was normally better at defending himself. "Do you know what that liquid was they gave you?"

Kenshin shook his head sleepily, "No, I –yawn- don't." He murmured, then laid his head back onto the pillow and closed his eyes.

The adult sighed, there obviously wouldn't be any more from his nephew tonight. He walked to the door and flipped the lights out. "Goodnight, Kenshin." The redhead muttered some response and Hiko walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

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Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Pobre Ken-chan!

Okay... like I said, major plot twist... but that'll continue in the next few chapters. And if you didn't understand, the italics were a flashback of what happened.

FYI, the 0000's are line breakers... for some reason the ones aren't working.

If anyone's confused feel free to send me a message and Ill try to explain it to you!

Thanks to my reviewers:

MikaylaMae, Kristy-chan, zenfry, Yanikei, book-manga-freak, ELLIE 31773, Neverforget99 and Draconic Ban-Sidhe

Please keep reviewing... you'll make me happy, my beta'er happy and my story happy! ;)

Also if anyone wants me to do a Random Omake Theater to celebrate our current 62 REVIEWS (!) please message me!

Thanks again! Don't forget that button in the left corner... !

sya,

miji-chan


	12. Chapter 12

Kendo Club

Ch 12

Thank you to everyone for all those reviews! I appreciate it!

Welcome back! Kay, here's the new chapter... with a lot of twists, fluff and tear-jerker moments... ENJOY!

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The next morning Hiko woke early as usual, walking quietly with the skills that came from the sword style he and his nephew practiced, as to not wake Kaoru or Yahiko who would hopefully sleep in. When Kenshin didn't show up for their sparring practice, the tall man put away his sword again and went back into the house.

Hiko was worried about his nephew, although now or later he would never admit it, usually the boy was very resistant to sickness or fatigue. He locked the door behind him and closed the curtains roughly, in case some of this 'Katsura's' men had decided to spy on the house, then walked to Kenshin's room and stopped before it, knocking lightly he entered.

He was certainly surprised to find the boy still in bed, confirmed by a tuft of red-orange hair peeking out above the bed sheets. As he walked closer the boy mumbled something and turned over, burying his head in the pillow. Hiko smiled slightly and when the redhead still didn't wake, he turned on his heel and exited the room.

Kaoru and Yahiko woke a few hours later, and finding that they only had an hour to get ready for school started an uproar, during which Hiko was surprised Kenshin didn't wake. Kaoru questioned him surprised when he ordered them out to the car without Kenshin, to which the man answered that the boy had fallen asleep after a shower and that he would come back to pick his nephew up later.

The girl muttered something under her breath and turned away, but Hiko could tell she was still worried about the boy. In the back seat Yahiko said nothing.

Hiko dropped Kaoru off at the high school, after she clambered out and ran through the gates. A few minutes later Yahiko had also been gotten rid of, leaping up the stairs of the middle school two at a time and vanishing over the top of the stairs.

He quickly returned to the house, nearly running into the back of the garage, then slammed the garage door down and made quick use of the key, quickly opening and closing the door during his entrance. Hiko locked the door again, checked it several times, then went to check on his nephew for a second time.

This time the boy was sitting up in the middle of the bed, reading a book with what seemed to be mild interest. When Hiko walked in, without knocking, and closed the door again behind him, the redhead glanced up with curious amber eyes.

Hiko swore silently in his head, then glared irritably at the boy who looked calmly back at him.

"Hiko Seijuro, correct?"

The said man's glare grew even colder and growled, "Yes, Battousai." He spat the title out at the boy who smirked at him, then marked the page in the book and laid it down beside him and folded his arms. "What's the matter Seijuro?"

Hiko winced at being called by that name, only Saito called him that, and responded irritated, "I want to talk to Kenshin."

Battousai grinned at him, "He's not here right now." Hiko rolled his eyes, "that's obvious, but get him here." Amber-eyes tilted his head slightly, still smiling in that unnerving, eerie way.

"No."

His uncle scowled at him, "You're more annoying then Kenshin," he added under his breath, "If that's possible." Battousai smiled politely but picked the book up and started reading again.

"Don't ignore me boy, look at me." Hiko ordered annoyed, but Amber-eyes continued to read the book, which couldn't be that interesting anyway, and completely ignored him. Finally Hiko sighed and turned around, when he was at the door the man paused then questioned, "Are you hungry?"

"No." The redhead glanced up briefly.

"Fine, tell me when you are."

Battousai had already gone back to the book. "Fine."

Not wanting or seeing a reason to continuing the conversation, Hiko continued out, closing the door behind him and leaving to make some food for himself.

'_Is that book really that interesting?' _a plaintive voice questioned him.

Amber-eyes sighed, "Go away and leave me alone"

'_Someone's not a people person.'_ There was a slight snicker.

Battousai glared at the door, "Neither are you, now shoo."

'_Wow, I didn't know you were a poet.'_ The voice said very sarcastically, so sarcastically that Battousai rolled his eyes and chose not to respond. _'Why did you upset Uncle? He was just worried.'_

"It's not like I meant to upset him, I'm really not hungry." Amber-eyes clarified, feeling sober now.

'_Hmm.'_ The voice said, but didn't converse further.

A few hours later, after Hiko had made, and ate, breakfast and showered for a second time then dressed in clothes more suitable for his work, and fretting for a few minutes and finally exerting the stubbornness he was known for, Hiko returned to the front of Kenshin's door. Knocking briefly, the man barged into his nephew's room, then stopped a few steps inside.

The redhead, who had been sitting up reading earlier, was once again submerged within the sheets only a small burst of flame-red hair visible among the whiteness of the sheets and covers.

Hiko eyes narrowed at that burst of red and growled, "Whether or not you want to boy, you will be going to school today." In response the burst of red vanished, then quickly reappeared again as they boy sat up, murmuring a sleepy, "Shishou?" after with a cry of dismay he fell down again onto his side then caught himself with his arm.

The man let out a quiet sigh of relief, Kenshin was back. "Yes its me. What on earth made you think you could sleep so long?" He asked irritated.

Kenshin looked back at him with dull, sleepy violet eyes. "Why, what time is it?" The boy blinked and rubbed his eyes vigorously.

"You've already missed your first class and half of the second." Hiko said as way of explanation, using the opportunity to open the curtains covering the window, flooding the room with more bright light.

Meanwhile, his nephew was now sitting fully upright, looking surprised and annoyed at the news. "What? Uncle, I can't believe you let me sleep so late!" He moved to the edge of the bed, but fell back when he tried to stand. "Nng." The boy groaned, a hand resting on the side of his head.

"What are you groaning about now?" Hiko questioned, masking his worry with irritation. The redhead moved his hand to cover his eyes.

"I don't feel good, Hiko."

The uncle snorted, "you're just trying to get out of going to school. Don't give me that."

Kenshin shook his head. "No, I really don't feel good." He waited until Hiko walked over and sat next to him to continue. "I, I ache all over and my head feels like its going to explode."

Hiko sighed and stood up, looking down at the redhead. Now that he could see the boy more clearly the baka did look paler and his eyes didn't seem as alert as usual. Kenshin shivered quietly, wrapping his arms around himself, which didn't go unnoticed by his Uncle.

"Fine, get back underneath those covers and _rest_," he carefully stressed the last word, "while I go make some chicken soup or something." Kenshin grimaced but did as he was told.

Neither of them spoke until the redhead was once again submerged underneath the covers and his head laying on the pillow. He closed his eyes and sighed while Hiko took that as a signal to leave.

He was at the door, his hand on the doorknob, when Kenshin spoke from the bed.

"Uncle?"

Hiko paused at the door and half-turned back, "Yes?"

"Thank you."

The man laughed grimly, "don't thank me yet." Then Kenshin was left alone in the room to 'rest.'

Kenshin stayed in bed for the rest of the day, feeling worse after forcing himself to eat the food his uncle had made, and was left alone in house after school when Hiko went to instruct the kendo club members although he complained about doing so.

Later, when practice had finished and they had picked up Yahiko up from school, Hiko and Kaoru returned to the house. The adult went about cooking dinner, and Kaoru and Yahiko being wary of this, decided to make themselves scarce: Yahiko making himself comfortable on the couch and watching TV and Kaoru to check on Kenshin.

She quietly walked down the hall and stopped in front of the redhead's door, taking a deep breath she turned the doorknob and let herself in. When the shapeless lump in the bed didn't move Kaoru let out the breath she had been holding and closed the door.

The girl tiptoed over to the right side of the bed and sat down next to the lump in the bed. After Kenshin still didn't wake up, although Kaoru was sure he should have, especially after that talk about sensing ki they had had a few days earlier, she gently pulled the covers back to so she could see his face.

Kaoru had to resist the urge to giggle, Kenshin looked so cute asleep! He looked completely at peace and innocent, like an angel she mused, with his red hair bright against his pale skin. She paused, noticing a dark mark on his cheek, partially hidden by his hair.

Kaoru put her weight on one hand and used the other to gently brush the hair away from Kenshin's face. She gasped and sat up straight when she saw the cross scar on his cheek, which the girl was very sure hadn't been there the day before. 'What was that from? Its so deep and… harsh.' Kaoru pondered, studying it closely.

She gently traced the horizontal mark of the scar but suddenly her wrist was seized in a strong grip and looking down, Kaoru saw annoyed amber eyes gazing up at her.

"K-Kenshin?" The girl asked surprised, trying to resist the urge to yank her hand away.

The redhead stared at her then blinked; the next time he opened his eyes they were the usual violet. He quickly let go of her wrist and laid his arm back on the bed.

"I'm sorry Kaoru, I didn't mean to hurt you." Kenshin apologized quietly and sat up, leaning on his arm. He sleepily rubbed his eyes then suddenly smiled disarmingly at her.

Kaoru smiled back, not realizing that he was distracting her from the odd reaction he had had. Gently rubbing her wrist the girl replied, "It's okay Kenshin, I didn't mean to wake you up. I was just worried, considering you slept in late and didn't come to school today."

Kenshin winced slightly, avoiding Kaoru's eyes. His Uncle was right, maybe he was getting too attached to this girl.

"-and then last night you came in, but wouldn't say anything, and it was so late." She looked away, biting her lip. "I was really scared Kenshin, I didn't know what to do."

The redhead winced visibly, no one except for Katsura-san and his uncle had ever really been worried about him, and of course, Hiko had never showed it.

"I didn't mean to worry you Miss Kaoru," he said softly and slowly, "It was something that I-"

Abruptly he fell back onto the bed, his head hitting the pillow with a 'thump,' his eyes closed and breathing slower. Kaoru gasped and leaned over him, studying his face and brushing the red strands away.

"Kenshin? Kenshin!"

When he didn't answer Kaoru quickly slid off the bed and ran out of the room yelling for Hiko. The man quickly appeared at the end of the hall leading into the living room, and raised an eyebrow at her. "What's wrong Kamiya?"

She ran up to him, wringing her hands together in front of her and skidded to a halt. "Hiko! I was talking to Kenshin and all of a sudden he fell back onto the bed, I think he's unconscious!"

Hiko pushed her aside and walked up then into his nephew's room. Immediately his eyes went to the redhead's form, laying in the bed; the problem was that instead of lying still, the boy was shaking violently. Worried, he strode over to the side of the bed and studied his nephew.

"Kenshin? Kenshin can you hear me?" He pause but the redhead didn't respond. "Wake up baka. You need to wake up."

Kenshin didn't respond.

The man swore under his breath and hurried to the door, standing tensely in the doorway. "Kamiya call 911 and get an ambulance, our address is in the contact book on the table." Kaoru appeared at then end of the hallway. "Then call Saito, he's in the phonebook under 'S' and tell him to get over here right away."

He disappeared back into the room while Kaoru ran to the phone and began dialing.

"Hang in there Kenshin, just fight it. Fight as hard as you can." He told the boy, standing beside the redheads writhing form. The man felt helpless just standing there, but it was all up to the paramedics and the boy himself now.

A few minutes later the sound of blaring sirens came blasting through the windows and then four paramedics carrying a stretcher poured through the door.

Kaoru led them to outside Kenshin's room and then was pushed aside as they went in. She started to follow but the doorbell rang causing her to pause and Hiko to curse under his breath. The girl waited until the bell rang again, then scowling she walked back down the hall, through the obstacle course that was the living room, and stopped in front of the door. With a cross sigh Kaoru swung open the door then let out a startled cry of surprise "Hajime-san!"

The man let out a cloud of smoke and ground the cigarette out beneath his shoe. "Kamiya. Well it's certainly a surprise to see you here," he drawled. "I see the paramedics have already arrived."

"Ah, oh, yes!" She stepped out of the way and let Saito inside. "They're in Kenshin's room." Kaoru informed him, pointing towards the hall.

"Mm." Saito commented then strode across the room and down the hall. The girl caught her breath, bur a few seconds later the paramedics rushed past her, carrying the stretcher with a pale, still Kenshin laying on it.

From the glimpse of him Kaoru saw that he looked like he was only sleeping; but from the heated conversation Hiko and Saito were having as they came back into the room, Kenshin was doing anything but.

The men stopped a few paces away from her. "Kamiya I'm going to the hospital with the ambulance; Saito will drive you there after us." If Kaoru hadn't known any better she'd say that the man was worried, and could only nod.

"You're going to Meiji Hospital right?" Saito asked, taking out a key ring from his pocket. Hiko nodded, grabbed a coat and hurried out of the house after the paramedics and a while later they heard the ambulance pull away from the curb.

"Come on Kamiya, let's go." Saito instructed, twirling the keys around his finger. When Kaoru didn't follow him through the door he turned back, "What is it Kamiya?"

She stuttered, "I, I-" Shaking her head, Kaoru couldn't find the strength to continue and wiped away the tears that threatened to fall.

Saito sighed, "if you're worried about Himura, you shouldn't be; he's strong enough to get through this." He then turned again and continued down the front steps.

Kaoru sighed, made a last desperate wipe at the tears and followed Saito.

000000000000000000000000000000

Like it? See, I told you there would be fluff. Not too much, but its there.

If anyone's confused about anything thats happening feel free to pm or email me and I'll try to help!

Thanks to: michelle.gilman (x2), Yanikei, wolfwood, Kristy-chan, ELLIE, MikaylaMae, NeverForget99, zenfry, book-manga-freak and enchantedsleeper for reviewing!

I know I said I'd do an Omake Theater for this chapter, but I've been sick recently and my brains still on hold... but next chapter, promise.

Ja ne

miji-chan


	13. Chapter 13

Kendo Club

Ch 13

Howdy everyone! I know I said that I wouldn't be able to update for a month or whatever, but I got this written in one night! O.o I know... amazing!

Have fun reading...

* * *

They arrived at the hospital less then half an hour later and quickly made their way to the front desk where Saito, impatiently, inquired where Kenshin had been taken to. 

The nurse directed them to the 'emergency ward' and the exact room number. Kaoru distinctively heard her sigh as they walked away, then ran to catch up with Saito's long strides. "Hajime-san?" The girl asked as they walked. Her teacher glanced down at her, "Mmm?"

"How do you know Hiko?" When there was no immediate response, she continued, "Because you came tonight, and then you came to kendo practice too, and Kenshin's also mentioned you."

Saito sighed and pushed open the double doors at the end of the hallway. "We teach at the same school, of course we know each other." He said annoyed, peering at the room numbers as they walked by. "As for Himura, we've had some dealings together in the past." The teacher answered evasively.

Kaoru didn't comment but continued to walk next to him, praying that Kenshin would be alright.

Suddenly she ran into something hard and Kaoru looked up to the see Saito scowling down at her. She hastily apologized and took a few steps back then leaned sideways to see why he had stopped.

A few feet down the hall from them sat Hiko, sitting uncomfortably in a plastic, hard, white, hospital chair looking as if he had been squeezed into it. He looked very bored, and worried. When he saw them, he struggled to get out of the chair then stood up, turning towards them.

"I see you've finally made it."

Saito nodded, "There was some traffic built up on the highway so I turned the police siren on."

"I bet people stopped when they heard that." Hiko said smirking and Saito smiled, "They sure did."

Kaoru shook her head, "I never knew you were a cop." Her teacher looked down at her with a strange expression on his face, "there's a lot you don't know about me, Kamiya."

Hiko snorted amusedly, but when Kaoru looked at him, he just smiled at her. She was being left out and she didn't like it.

"How's the kid?" Saito asked and Hiko shook his head. "They haven't told me, he went in about fifteen minutes ago."

Kaoru looked up at him questioningly, her eyes wide.

"What can you tell?" With a quick glance at Kaoru Hiko answered Saito's question.

"He's awake, but sedated. He seems to be alright."

"Hmph." The teacher responded, his handtwitching uncontrollably at his side as if searching for a familiar object.

Hiko saw this and commented, "You can't smoke in here Hajime." He smiled knowingly and Saito glared.

At that time a doctor came out of the room Kenshin was in, removing her gloves and rubbing her forehead with her arm. She saw them standing across the hall and quickly walked over.

"Excuse me, but if you're not family you'll have to leave," the doctor addressed Kaoru and Saito. Hiko scowled down at her, "this, is the boy's teacher," he pointed at Saito who nodded at her, "and she, is the boy's girlfriend." Kaoru spluttered at this, not being able to correct him because she was trying to catch her breath.

The nurse looked suspiciously at them, but didn't ask either to leave. She addressed Hiko, "he's doing fine, we were able to stabilize him quickly. He was awake and conscious but we gave him a sedative to help him sleep and he's breathing on his own now."

Kaoru let out a sigh of relief, Kenshin was going to be okay; thank goodness. Beside her Hiko nodded, but the worry lines disappeared from his face; Saito's expression didn't change and he only nodded.

"Can I see him please?" The girl questioned hopefully, looking pleadingly at the nurse.

The woman looked uncertain and began fussing with the latex gloves in her hand. "Please?" Kaoru asked again.

"Go on, let her." Hiko insisted, putting his hands on Kaoru's shoulders. Finally the nurse gave in and nodded.

"Alright, but don't wake him if he's asleep. And don't talk for long if he isn't. Make sure he doesn't overexert himself." The nurse instructed her sternly.

Hiko laughed amusedly beside them and the nurse looked over at him eyes narrowed. But before the nurse could change her mind Kaoru walked over to the door of the room and went in.

Inside, the room was empty except for the figure laying in the bed and a machine standing next to it, beeping repetitively.

There was an interesting picture on the wall, but Kaoru ignored it as she pulled one of the cushioned chairs up to the bed and sat in it.

She looked at Kenshin, her heart pounding in her chest. His skin was as pale as ever, perhaps even more so now, making his hair look brighter, more flame-red. The scar she had noticed earlier was still on his left cheek. Kaoru winced, it looked painful.

The girl quietly and slowly reached over to take Kenshin's hand, squeezing it a little. She made sure not to dislodge the IV in his arm as she pulled it towards her and put her other hand on top of their interlocked ones.

There was a quiet rustle of sheets and the girl looked at her friend's face to see the pale eyelids slowly opening to reveal dull, sleepy violet eyes. She smiled and gently squeezed his hand.

This caused the redhead to start slightly and slowly turned his head towards her. When his eyes finally focused on her he smiled and hoarsely whispered her name, "Kaoru."

"Hey." She whispered back, "there's some water here if you want it." Kenshin nodded and Kaoru reached over to pick up the plastic cup with water and position it at his lips, not removing her hand from his.

The teen boy slowly raised himself up onto his arm and slipped the water through the straw. When he had drank all that he could, Kenshin laid back with a soft sigh.

"Better?" Kaoru questioned as she replaced the plastic cup.

Kenshin nodded, "Yes."

They were quiet for a few minutes, happy enough just holding hands, until Kaoru asked quietly and worried, "are you alright Kenshin? I was worried about you when you collapsed back at the house."

Kenshin winced at the word worried, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you." He smiled at her, "but yes, I'm feeling better now."

"Thank goodness." She responded, and began to ask another question when Kenshin quickly said, "thank you for worrying about me Kaoru."

The girl laughed good-humoredly, "don't thank me Kenshin, that's just what friends do. We worry about each other."

The redhead flinched at the word friend, did she really consider him as a friend? Kaoru noticed it and frowned, "we _are_ friends Kenshin, no doubt about it."

He nodded a little unsuredly.

Kaoru bit her lip hesitantly, "Kenshin," he looked at her inquisitively, "as friends," another hesitant pause, "will you tell me what's going on?"

Kenshin's face grew even paler and his eyes became distant, "I can't Kaoru, I'm sorry," in order to not see her disappointment he turned his head away.

"Kenshin, please. You nearly died tonight because of something you, Hiko and Hajime-san are keeping me in the dark about."

The teen quickly turned back to her, an annoyed frown on his face amber flecks dancing within the violet, "uncle and Saito are here?"

Kaoru nodded uncertainly, "Yes, they're outside. After you, 'passed out' Hiko had me call the ambulance and then Hajime-san."

"Mmm." Kenshin commented, looking distant again.

"Kenshin, please don't leave me in the dark." Kaoru insisted, squeezing his hand, but Kenshin tried to take his hand away. "Please."

The redhead shook his head, "I can't." He hissed harshly.

Kaoru pouted, "Please Kenshin. As friends, I deserve the truth."

Kenshin flinched harshly and his eyes darkened, "don't say that Kaoru." He whispered and to Kaoru it seemed like he was pleading with her.

"Kenshin." Kaoru whispered, but his eyes had closed and he seemed to be asleep. "Kenshin please, something's going on that involves you on and I hate being left in the dark about it!" She gently leaned over and brushed the hair away from his face. "I want to help you."

She pulled her hand away as Kenshin made an odd noise that sounded like he was choking, the same as when Hiko made that comment about there being no way he was losing some one again. Kaoru leaned over him and saw that his fists were clenched and tears were building in his closed eyes. "Kenshin," she breathed.

"Don't," he whispered, "please don't. The last person who said that," his voice choked off.

"What, what happened Kenshin?" But the teen desperately shook his head, not answering.

Kaoru sighed, "please tell me what's happening with you Kenshin, I want to know."

To her surprise the redhead turned back towards her, meeting her sapphire eyes with weary, resigned violet ones.

"I suppose you deserve to." He muttered thoughtfully, slowly moving his hand closer to hers.

"Really Kenshin?" She asked surprised, taking his hand into hers and squeezing it gently. Her friend smiled warmly at her, the distantness melting from his eyes.

"Yes, you're my friend after all." Kaoru waited for him to continue and he did so, wiping his eyes. "If you really want to know what's happening, there's a book exactly in the middle of the second bookshelf in my room that you should read."

She waited for more, but that was all he said and the seconds stretched into minutes.

"That's all?" Kaoru asked surprised, sure there should have been more.

He looked blankly at her, looking puzzled. "Yes," Kenshin squeezed her hand, "until you finish reading of course."

The girl nodded. "Alright, but afterwards we are going to have a long talk." She emphasized the word 'long' and lightly tapped him on the nose. He smiled at her.

"Of course," He said playfully then sighed. "Knowing Shishou he'll insist on staying here to make sure I don't make a fool of myself." Kaoru made a funny noise and Kenshin 'looked' at her.

"I suppose you'll have to ride with Saito." He finished and the girl looked puzzled. "Kenshin, how exactly do you know Hajime-san?"

He sighed, "you'll read about that." There was an awkward pause. "Well you should leave. Besides there's school tomorrow, you need to stay awake for that."

Kaoru made a face and Kenshin chuckled, "Will you say hello to everyone for me?" She nodded and squeezed his hand.

"I'll see you then." The girl smiled and kissed him lightly on the forehead. "Get better."

"I will."

Kaoru let go of his hand, stood up and pushed the chair back against the wall. With one last wave, she left the room.

Hiko and Saito looked up as she closed the door behind her, they were both sitting in those chairs now. The doctor was gone, probably disappeared ages ago.

"Well?" Hiko said as she walked over and he stood up.

She sighed. "He's fine, a little drowsy but fine." The girl looked over at Saito who raised his eyebrows looking bored and annoyed. "We're going to go home," she declared.

"Are we?" Saito drawled, causing Hiko to look at him.

"Yes, there _is_ school tomorrow you know." Kaoru reminded him smartly.

"I know." He stood up and took his car keys out of his pocket. "Call me if there are any changes." Saito told Hiko who nodded and sullenly sat squeezing back into the chair.

* * *

... and please review! 

So, didja like it? Hope so. For those who've been wanting fluff.. see... fluff! points at story FLUFF! Hee hee. Anyways, just fyi next chapter might take me longer to write cause it'll be in diary format, at least some of it that won't be flashbacks. Actually it might have to be cut into two parts considering how long it might be... plus I'm busy this weekend and there's SO much homework... and pauses I'm just giving you reasons to hate me aren't I? Oops.

And here's the long awaited, and promised, omake theater:

Kenshin and Kaoru are sitting in the hospital room...

Kaoru: I'm so happy your okay now Kenshin

Kenshin: avoiding her eyes Uh huh

Kaoru: Kenshin, why aren't you looking at me?

Kenshin: ...

Kaoru: Kenshin? still doesn't answer KENSHIN! hugs tightly and begins crying

Kenshin: taps Kaoru on shoulder Kaoru? taps again Kaoru?

Kaoru: moves back still hugging WHAT? glaring

Kenshin: oh, um nothing... laughs nervously Anyways...

Kaoru: hugs tightly again, choking Kenshin Oh Kenshin why won't you tell me! cries

Kenshin: ...

Kaoru: laughs and let go and steps back I mean, its not like your a murderer or a thief or anything...

Kenshin: laughs nervously

Kaoru: looks suspiciously at him Riiiight?

Kenshin: um, looks around, dashes for the door but Hiko shuts it before he gets there making Kenshin slam into it

Hiko: nah uh, your not getting out of this one baka

Kenshin: ororororo falls to floor in dead faint

Hiko: Hmm, I never thought of that...

END!

Kay, I know it stunk, I'm sorry... better luck next time? Heh heh...

Thanks to my reviewers: Kristy-chan, Neverforget99, Draconic Ban-Sidhe, zenfry, avidgokufan, MikaylaMae, and Yanikei THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Wow, I just noticed that the font changed... sry about that...

Thanks once again to my wonderful beta-reader... YANIKEI!

If anyone's confused about anything happening in the story please pm or send me a review with your 'question' and i'll answer as best I can... with out giving the plot away of course.

Okay, this is a new thing I'm starting: for each chapter I'll recommend a fic I've read and liked, I'll try and do a variety of anime/manga but right now I'm fixed on RK, sry.

If anyone's bored I would recommend reading 'Battousai the Rurouni' by amber-chick. It's about what would happen if Katsura and Okami time-traveled to the future to find Kenshin as a rurouni... its really good and I can't say enough good thigns about it.

One more thing, if anyone reading this is reading my other fics I WILL UPDATE THEM SOON! I promise... its just the ice prince and chaos levels are on hold if anyone wants to know.

Thanks so much for reading, please REVIEW!

Ja ne,

miji-chan


	14. Chapter 14

Kendo Club

Here we go... have fun reading. Sry it took so long (ducks rotten tomatoes) I SAID SORRY! (sheesh)

If your wondering, its in diary format, with Kaoru reading it, in case anyone gets confused. ;)

Have fun!

* * *

Sept 7 1995

A few days ago, after my parents died there was a big custody, I think that's the word, battle over who I would live with now. My uncle Hiko and my aunt Ishi are the only family I have left, and they're not brother and sister so I would be in two different houses. I wish my mom and dad were still alive, then none of this would be happening.

Sept 22 1995

The battle's done now, I'm living with my uncle Hiko at his house. I'm glad that he lives only a few miles from where my parents live, used to live I guess. But uncle's kinda weird; right when I had finished putting my stuff in the room I was supposed to use, uncle came to talk to me and said that he was changing my name to Kenshin and would begin teaching me his sword style the next morning.

When I asked why he was changing my name, uncle only said that 'Shinta' was too gentle for a swordsman. So, I guess from now on I'll be known as Himura Kenshin, not Himura Shinta.

On the bed in Kenshin's room Kaoru stifled a gasp, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Hiko had changed her friends name after his parents died? It was so sweet of Ishi to name her son with Kenshin's birth name, even years after it was changed. And Shinta was such a cute name, even for her friends cousin.

Wishing that she had been able to meet Kenshin before whatever had happened, Kaoru began reading his diary again…

Sept 23

I finished my first day of what uncle calls 'training' and my body is so sore I can barely move. My hand is shaking as I write. Uncle made me hold a weird wooden stick, he called it a shinai, and taught me how to hold it; I'm pretty sure he corrected my grip more then a thousand times, and a few simple swings. I can't write any more… too tired.

Oct 23

More then a week later I am finally getting used to the hard training uncle puts me through every day. Now he's taken to calling me 'baka deshi' which he thoroughly enjoys, I can just tell. He also keeps telling me to call him 'shishou.' I looked it up in my dictionary and learned it means 'master' in English and there is absolutely no way I am calling him that… ever! Although I doubt that he'll ever stop this 'baka deshi' thing, he's really attached to the nickname. But I'm not an idiot. Aunt Ishi says that its just a term of endearment… right.

Aug 31, 2000

Today's the fifth anniversary of my parents death, so uncle, Ishi and I had a small party at our house. Everything seems so… empty, I guess, now. I turned eleven a few months ago but nothing really seems different, except that I wish mom and dad could be here to celebrate with us.

I start middle school in a few days, I'm a little nervous about it, Uncle says its really different then elementary school and harder. Hopefully I'll be able to make a few friends, it would be nice to have someone to talk to and spend time with. I'll just do my best, like mom always told me to do.

Kaoru stifled a laugh behind her hand, so Hiko had been calling Kenshin by that nickname for over ten years. I guess he did get used to it, and started calling Hiko 'shishou' after a while, even though was still probably by protest. She quietly reread the part about his parents, _we're almost the same, both of us have lost our parents and we feel like we're lost sometimes_.

But what had happened to him and why had there been a five year period between the entries, had he just forgotten?

July 2, 2001

Uncle and I have been arguing lately, more and more during the past month. I think aunt Ishi has given up on us since she rarely visits anymore. We fight over the smallest things, fights that turn into shouting contests or physical contact. But whenever I attack him he always defeats me easily, even though I'm getting better at sword fighting. Uncle always makes me feel small and pitiful… it makes me angry.

July 12

Uncle and I just had another of our usual fights again, this one about my 'role' in the house. I ended it by stomping off to my room and loudly slamming my door, immature I know but I couldn't take any more. I'm tired of my uncle, his never-ending insults and this stupid demanding teaching of swords I'm being put through. He wants me to be perfect and I know I can't be!

I've decided that I'm going to run away, I think I have enough money for a hotel room, or maybe even for a taxi to aunt Ishi's house. Right after I finish this entry I'm going to pack my bag and climb out of the window… then I'll be free.

What in the world? Kaoru thought, biting her lip. She had observed that Kenshin and Hiko argued a lot, but except for that one time it had seemed to her like only friendly, family banter. But if Kenshin had felt so angered and annoyed that one time, and had run away because of it, would he run away from his life again?

July 14

I just woke up in a strange room I've never seen before. There's nothing to see really, it has stone walls, a small window with bars and the hard, old mattress I'm sitting on.

Why am I here? I don't remember going to sleep here or stopping here. This is such an odd place. Plus there's no one nearby, that I can sense at least.

There's no way that I would come here, except that…

I just went over to the window and tried to look out of it. As far as I can tell I'm in a warehouse on the edge of town, one of the old abandoned ones.

But the problem is _why_ am I here?

I suppose I was kidnapped, that would be the only way for me to end up here.

July 15

My mind seems so foggy now, such a difference from how sharp it was from using Hiten. Vaguely I can remember a man coming in, he smiled at and spoke to me…

"_Hello there Mr. Redhead. You're sure young to be wandering among the streets. May I ask why my men found you walking along the remote areas in this city of ours?"_

_I muttered something under my breath and looked away, off to the side._

_The man smiled and sighed softly. "I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Katsura Kogoro, I run the organization that takes place in this building. A business I would like you to join_."

"_What kind of business?" I asked, slightly raising my head, but not enough that he could see me. Katsura smiled. "A small but influential business that is for the better _cause_ of the city." He paused slightly and titled his head. "Would you mind telling me about yourself now?"_

_I laughed quietly, my hair spilling over my shoulders, coming free from its loose ponytail. "Himura Kenshin. I was walking out on the street because I left my house after I had an argument with my uncle. Walking helps me think."_

"_I see, it's nice to meet you Himura." Katsura took my hand and gently shook it, his hand engulfing mine. "Would you like to join my little organization?"_

_I started and looked Katsura directly in the eye. "What?"_

"_Wow, you're very handsome kid." The man commented, gazing excitedly at me. "You could maybe even pass for a girl."_

_I scowled at him, all too aware of my feminine features. "I do NOT look like a girl."_

"_Of course not. You do realize Himura that if you join me, you won't have to go home until you want to. Or perhaps you'll never want to go home." Katsura informed me in an offhand tone._

_Undecided, I scanned the man's ki and found that he was honest about what he was saying._

"_Sure."_

_Katsura smiled, took my hand again and shook it once more. "You have a very firm grip boy." The man loosened his grip and turned my hand over to look at his palm. "And all these calluses, what are they from?"_

_I looked away again, mentally cursing my uncle. "Swords."_

"_How interesting, I didn't know anyone practiced swordsmanship anymore. Are you very good at it?" Katsura questioned eagerly._

_I made an odd noise, something between a snort and a laugh. "I'm not sure, no one's ever told me."_

"_Well then, what would you say to a small sparring match?"_

_In response I'm certain I looked surprised, then uncertain and finally agreed to his offer. "I suppose so."_

_Katsura smiled and helped the boy to his feet. "Wonderful then."_

After that we went downstairs, many stairs, to stand in a large stone room. Another person stood at the opposite end, smiling with a sword in his right hand.

Katsura introduced the man as 'Tenken,' his best swordsman. He commented that we were the only two left in the city who practiced swords. That was probably true, if you ignored Uncle.

We started sparring at a call from Katsura; this Tenken was very good, fast and smart.

In the end, our match finished in a draw since we were both tired and the swords we had been using were both damaged slightly.

When Katsura called the end of the match, Tenken walked off into the darkness behind the doorway from where he had appeared. But before he did so, Tenken commented that I was 'a worthy opponent' and he 'looked forward to sparring with me again.'

I suppose that I slightly agreed with him, it would be nice to have someone to spar with who didn't insult me while doing so. Besides, he was very likable.

We returned to the room where I first woke up and talked for a little longer. It was strange that nowhere in the conversation did Katsura explain exactly what his organization did.

Then, when he had stood up to leave again, the man paused halfway across the room and turned back to me.

"_I forgot to tell you Himura, there's a shot you need to get before you live here for very long." He laughed good-humoredly, "This isn't exactly the cleanest building in the world. Don't worry, there's a licensed doctor here who'll do it for free."_

_I frowned slightly. A whole shot, just because of living in this building? I guess... "I suppose that would be good, I don't want to get sick."_

_Katsura went to the door and called to somewhere nearby. A few minutes later, another man came into the room carrying a black bag._

_He noticed my wary look and smiled while saying, "Don't worry Himura, it won't hurt. And afterwards you'll feel much better." The 'doctor'- was he really a doctor?- chuckled quietly until Katsura gave him a reproachful look._

_The doctor kneeled in front of me, opened his bag and took out a syringe with clear liquid in it. He cleaned my arm with something cold, then stuck the thin, metal tip into my bicep._

_As the liquid made its way into my body, I began to feel lightheaded and dizzy. A few minutes later, I couldn't focus and my eyes kept on closing on their own. Just before I fell back onto the bed unconscious, Katsura took a small dagger out of his pocket and cut a scar, shaped like a cross, on my cheek. I could barely feel the point of the knife._

_---_

_The two men watched as Kenshin's eyes finally closed and then fell back onto the bed, a small rivulet of blood trailing down his cheek. Katsura positioned the boy so he was laying on the hard mattress while the 'doctor' wiped away the blood._

_They stood and the second man left, leaving Katsura alone in the room with Kenshin. The former leaned over the boy and gently brushed the flame-red hair from his pale face._

"_He will make a wonderful soldier," the man thought, then corrected himself, "no, his skills; the speed, the precision and the agility would be wasted as a soldier. Instead…"_

_Katsura leaned down to whisper into the teens ear, "welcome, Hitokiri Himura."_

_

* * *

_

Dun dun duuunnnnnnnnnnn! Hee hee... cliff hanger I know, I'm sorry!

As for how long the whole 'diary' thing will take I'm not sure, I had planned on this chapter being longer so I would split it into two parts, but since it isn't it might turn out to be like three or four, not sure. Sry... I hope you enjoy them anyways.

Please don't forget to review! I enjoy them a lot... they make me happy AND inflate my ego. ;)

Thanks again to my beta reader Yanikei for putting up with me AND beta-ing my fics.

Oh, I have news for you! This year I'm participating in NaNoWriMo (the websites for more info) during the month of November, so I'm sorry but I won't be able to write (and that includes updating) during that time. Please be patient until December and I'll have a bunch of good new chapters for you. ;)

Thanks to ALL of my reviewers:

avidgokufan, Becky Yuy, michelle.gilman, ELLIE 31773, Mikayla Mae, CrystalMind and enchantedsleeper

Thanks again!

Please review... I hope you enjoyed it!

ja ne

mijichan


	15. Chapter 15

Kendo Club

Ch 15

Hello again everyone! Long time no see! (ducks tomatoes) HEY! Well to make up for it I've uploaded a wonderful chapter for y'all... or so Yanikei (my beta) says.

Enjoy! More notes later!

Read and Review!

* * *

A day, or perhaps later, the red head woke up to find himself lying on the stiff mattress with bright sunlight shining through the window to illuminate the entire room. 

He sat up dazedly then sleepily rubbed his eyes and yawned. "What time is it?" the teen asked himself, slowly moving his head back and forth to survey his surroundings.

Casting out his ki, Kenshin realized that Katsura was just outside the room. Sure enough the lock clicked and the door swung open with a creak a few seconds later.

"Ah, I see you are awake Himura. I hope you slept well," the man greeted, stepping in and closing the door behind him.

"Yeah, regular hotel you're keeping here," Kenshin commented sarcastically.

Katsura laughed, "Ah yes. Not the most comfortable, I'm afraid."

The teen snorted ridiculously and looked away. "What do you want from me?" he asked impatiently.

The man smiled, again. "Actually, there's someone I would like you to meet."

Kenshin groaned, "I'm not very good with people."

"Don't worry about it."

Still grumbling, the teen slowly stood up, followed the leader of the organization across the room, then went out the door-he relished the idea that this was the first time he had left this room.

He continued to follow the man along a thin, metal balcony and railing then down metal steps to the concrete floor below.

Once they were standing on firm ground again, Katsura turned to look at a dark, shadowed archway on their right, "Hajime-san, come here please," he requested, his face showing a small smile.

The red head turned as a man dressed in a police man's uniform stepped out from the shadows to walk up to them. A sword hung ready at his side, the scabbard bumped against his leg as he moved. He inclined his head at the man and teen then stopped in front of them, "good morning, or late morning I suppose."

"Good morning Hajime." The manager of the organization greeted, and then turned to raise his hand at Kenshin. "Hajime-san, this is Kenshin Himura, he has just joined us."

Kenshin bobbed his head slightly, and then regarded Hajime with stern, wary eyes. "Hello, nice to meet you."

The police officer nodded, put a hand on the hilt of his sword and glanced at Katsura. "To you as well."

* * *

A knock on the door caused Kaoru to start and look up at the door in surprise. 

"Come in," she called softly, closing the journal with a finger, marking her place as it lay in her lap.

To her surprise, Mr. Hajime walked in, then closed the door behind him and surveyed the room. "So this is Himura's room." He commented, walking over to the window and then turning.

"Why do you call him 'Himura'?" The teen questioned, but the adult didn't answer, instead he just glanced over at her,

His set expression shifted slightly when he noticed the journal on her lap, "You're reading Himura's journal. He won't like that," Hajime sighed, "he can be very protective when he wants to."

Kaoru frowned at him, "Kenshin wanted me to, and he told me to."

The adult made a noise that could be either a snort or a snicker, "I see." He tilted his head slightly to the side, "where are you?"

She stared at him, not understanding his question and soon they lapsed into silence.

"You're in here you know." The teen announced, gesturing at him with the journal, her finger still holding the place. "It surprised me."

"Yes, I would expect to be." Saito replied, sticking his hands in the pockets of the jeans, "What does he say?"

Kaoru dodged the question and countered, "Why were you part of this-"

He cut her off and finished sharply, "the Ishin Shishi? Back then, I didn't really have a reason. I was just a free-lance cop."

She considered this, and then asked, "when did you meet Kenshin, Hajime-san?"

"Either call me Saito, or Hajime but not Hajime-san." The adult replied shortly, and then sighed. "Actually I met Himura a few days after he joined the Ishin Shishi." He continued quietly, "It was difficult."

But the teen heard what he had said and asked curiously, "what do you mean?"

To her surprise, Kaoru's teacher walked over to the bed and sat down near her. His hand went to the front pocket of his shirt, but he stopped himself. "Damn Hiko, banning me from smoking in his house," he muttered angrily.

"Well?" Kaoru demanded impatiently.

Saito scowled, and then raised his head to stare at the wall opposite him as he spoke.

"I mean it was hard watching an idealistic young swordsman die, and become a hitokiri," he explained, but not as clearly as Kaoru had hoped.

She frowned confused at him, "what's a 'hitokiri'?"

The teacher snickered quietly and turned to look at her with mischievous amber eyes. "You're Japanese and you don't know what that word means?"

"Sorry if I haven't actually delved into my heritage yet," Kaoru snapped back, sitting back with her arms crossed and face set in a classic teen pout.

Saito stood up, brushed off his jacket then walked over to the door. "I never said you had to. Keep reading Kamiya-you'll find out soon enough," he added as he exited.

After he left and the door closed, Kaoru shook her head at the man's personality. "Weirdo." She commented before opening the worn journal once more and began reading…

_

* * *

The first time I received the black envelope, at first I thought it was a card of some sort, like the ones you receive on holidays. Then Katsura-san handed me a katana, different then the one I had been practicing with, and whispered, "clean Himura, make it clean and simple," in my ear before he walked away. _

_I still didn't understand what he was talking about, or what the envelope was for-at least not until I was back in my room alone and I opened it._

_Written in white ink on the inside of the card was a short, but informative message:_

**Jenki Hermans**

**11 pm Crown Theater**

**One or two bodyguards**

**Take him into the alley and dispose of the man**

**Tenchu**

'_Surprised' is the best way to describe my reaction to the message. I was supposed to kill someone? In cold blood, with my sword?_

_Blindly I found the bed and sat heavily down on it. I read the card again, how was I expected to do such a thing?_

_Vaguely, from the recesses of my memory, I remembered someone saying to me that the way of the sword is to kill. But I never knew that that statement could be so true, or so painful. All I wanted was to protect people-not kill them._

_

* * *

After the night of that first mission, something happened. I'm not sure what… but everything was… 'different.' _

_The morning after, or the next time I woke up, I took a long, hot shower to get rid of as much blood as I could and then shed the bloodstained clothes I was still wearing. In clean clothes once again, I sat down on the bed. After thinking for a few minutes, I realized that I couldn't remember anything from the days before coming to this organization, and I didn't know how long I had been here._

_Even after that disturbing realization, I didn't know what to do, how I should react to what I did and what was happening to me._

_I suppose in the end I deiced to withdraw myself form the work and go on with this as if it were a job-something I couldn't help doing._

* * *

Katsura knew that when he had asked Himura to kill for him that it would change the teen, but there was no way he could have anticipated the real difference in the redhead's personality. 

When the man first went to see Himura after the second night, he had given the teen a black envelope. Now he witnessed just what he had done.

He knocked on the door to the room and a soft voice answered, "Come in Katsura-san." Surprised, he turned the knob and slowly walked in. The teen was sitting on the small bed, his knees curled up to his chin and his thin, muscular arms wrapped around himself. Long bangs shadowed the face, and his hair spilled over his shoulders.

"How are you, Himura?" Katsura asked curiously, shutting the door and leaning against it.

"Fine," was the short, one-word reply. Katsura flinched. The teen had already adapted the short, terse way that hitokiri spoke.

He sighed, "Himura, I-"

The teen replied sharply, "Don't say it. I don't need your pity."

"I'm sorry Himura." The teen scoffed, and Katsura continued. "I really am."

For one second Himura turned to glance at Katsura through his bangs and the man found himself transfixed by the cold amber-blue eyes. Then the teen looked away again and he was freed.

When neither of them spoke for several minutes, Katsura turned around again and opened the door. "I'll leave you then," he said and went out of the door, closing it behind him.

* * *

After a few more nights, the teen began to lose himself to the world. To save himself he locked away the important parts of his mind and soul and continued to go on with the assassinations as best he could… losing more and more of himself each time he killed someone. 

The violet-blue faded from his eyes to become cold, emotionless amber and his blood-red hair was always tied in a high ponytail.

Shinta had died long ago, perhaps even before the first time he had killed… when he had first held a sword.

* * *

When little more then a year had passed, or maybe it had been longer- time seemed to have little meaning in this place- Himura, or Battousai as he was now called by the members of the Ishin Shishi whom he rarely he saw, returned late one night after one of the few times he went out to browse the town while it was dark. 

He walked quietly into the building, through the dark hallway and into the half-lit room, his footsteps barely making a sound on the concrete floor.

Near the side of the room was a small table and three people were sitting around it talking. As he came up to them Himura recognized Katsura, but the other two –also with swordsmen ki- were strangers.

Katsura looked up when Himura stopped beside them, making only enough noise to be heard. He smiled at the redhead, "Good evening Himura-san."

"Hello Katsura-san," he quietly returned the greeting, pulling off his hat to let the ponytail tumble down his back.

The other strangers looked up to stare at him and Himura also politely nodded his head at them, meeting their brown and blue/grey eyes with calm amber ones, then mumbling an awkward "hello."

"Himura-san, these are two guests of mine who are thinking of helping us." He waved a hand at the two men, "this is Makoto Shishio and Seta Soujiro."

The younger one-Soujiro- who seemed to be the same age as Himura, smiled and waved enthusiastically while the other just continued to stare at the redhead in a disconcerting way.

"You are the one known as Himura Battousai? Or Hitokiri Battousai to the people?" asked the second stranger with long, black hair and sharp features in a low, dark tone.

Red head bobbed his head and replied with a short, soft "hai."

Soujiro leaned forward and Himura, for the first time, noticed that the continuously smiling teen wore a sword, but then he spoke in a surprisingly eager tone. "Battousai-san, what would you say if I proposed a small duel between he two of us?"

'Battousai-san' thought on the suggestion for a few minutes while the other teen peered at him eagerly and Katsura and Shishio restarted their conversation again.

Finally, he replied, "Sure." He then uncovered the sword hanging at his waist, while at the same time Soujiro stood up and walked over towards him.

They moved towards the center of the room and stepped forward to face each other, hands on the hilt of their swords.

Himura tried to sense his opponent's ki- but there wasn't any. Either the teen was very good at repressing it, or he had none.

Deciding that it would be better to attack, since he wouldn't be able to predict the others movement as well, Battousai shifted into a battoujutsu stance, the attack his nickname had come from.

"Ah, I see." Soujiro commented, then stepped forward and crouchedin a battoujutsu stance also.

The two of them stood patiently, gazing at each other in silent appraisal as they waited for the other to move. The resulting silence was overwhelming since Katsura and Shishio had stopped their conversation to watch the duel.

Finally an unspoken command was given and the two teens darted forward, drawing their swords as they moved at unbelievable speeds. They poured all of their strength into the single, fatal attack and with a fierce clang and shout from the opponents-the swords met.

The duel was over as soon as it had started.

When Katsura and Shishio had waved away the resulting dust storm, they saw a curious sight.

The teens were standing stock-still in the middle of the room, their swords hanging from their hands at their sides. But the odd thing was that they were both staring at the other, as if caught in a daze.

A cracking noise made both of them start and look down to see that Soujiro's sword had cracked and chipped at the edge, making it unusable. Strangely, the same happened to Himura's a few seconds later. The duel had ended.

With a polite nod, Battousai sheathed his sword, turned on his heel and quietly walked past the table. "Good night Katsura-san," he said softly as he passed the man, then went up the steps and over to his room.

Meanwhile Soujiro was still gazing at his sword. "He is quite a worthy opponent," the teen commented before carefully sheathing the weapon.

_

* * *

I saw Shishio and Soujiro many times after that first night; they often visited to discuss business matters with Katsura-san. That also wasn't the only time I dueled with Soujiro, or Tenken as I discovered his nickname was, we had many other matches following that one, but usually carefully planned and fought. _

_I would say the two of us became friends, but that was not an available form of acquaintance in those days. We were more...well-acquainted business partners then friends._

_

* * *

Two years after I joined the Ishin Shishi (I am roughly estimating this time period) Katsura gave me a special mission. It was not an assassination as I first expected, but an order to seek out and find the leader of the Oniwaban group- and possibly make him an acquaintance of the organization and myself. _

_The envelope I received from Katsura-san stated the man's name was Aoshi Shinomori and I would find the Oniwaban headquarters in the popular restaurant '_Aoiya_' on the outskirts of town._

_I headed for the restaurant once night had fallen, wearing normal teenage clothes, a baggy sweatshirt hiding my restored katana. To be careful I had placed a bandage over my scar, wore my hair under a hat and refused to make eye contact with anyone – there was no need for a wave of chaos to occur._

_Perhaps twenty or thirty minutes later I found myself standing in the dark alleyway behind the restaurant. I was forced to hide as a man brought boxes of supplies inside from his truck. But he had soon driven away. After a few minutes I slowly withdrew from my hiding place to step out into the alley and then quietly walk up to the now closed back door and knock. Once…twice…three times._

* * *

Himura stood on the doorstep, leaning against the wall while keeping a close look out for anyone coming near, and waiting for an answer. 

The door clicked and swung open slightly causing the light and voices from inside to spill out into the darkness.

"Who's there? What do you want?" A spirited young female voice demanded from the other side of the doorway, easily overwhelming the other voices from inside.

The redhead replied quietly, "I want to talk to Shinomori-san." He answered, head down, still hiding in the shadows.

A soft gasp came to his ears, "Aoshi? What do you want to talk to Aoshi-sama for?" it demanded, anger masking the previous confusion.

"Just please go get him," Himura instructed, standing still and saying no more.

When he didn't respond further the female teen sighed, mumbled something under her breath then closed the door

A few minutes alter it opened once again, slower, more cautiously this time, and a tall, muscular from stepped forward to stand on the door still. "Who's there?" A monotone, male voice questioned.

"Shinomori-san, I presume?" The redhead replied similarly, in a soft emotionless tone.

The other presumably grumbled something under his breath and then stepped further out into the alley, demanding, "who is asking?"

Himura straightened and turned so the light from the doorway partially illuminated his slim, vertically challenged form. "I am."

Aoshi turned to gaze through the darkness at his mysterious companion. "And who is 'I'?" He asked cautiously.

The red head raised his head, then slowly pulled off the hat so his hair fell down into place.

In the dark, the leader of the Oniwaban was easily able to distinguish the piercing amber eyes and flame red hair.

"Battousai."

Himura smiled amiably, "so you have heard of me, I expected as such." He commented quietly.

But Aoshi was cautious, especially since he now knew that this teen was the terrifying and skilled Hitokiri Battousai. "Why are you here?"

The hitokiri tilted his head to the side while smiling, but it was a false smile – one to hide his emotions behind. "My commander Katsura-san asked me to contact you."

"Why?" was the one word answer.

Himura sighed, "to see if you would like to join our organization I suppose." He paused, "are you always so interrogative?"

Aoshi replied calmly, his face a mask, "with a hitokiri who I am not acquainted with… yes."

While the red head puzzled out a decent answer to that, the female voice from earlier, who had first answered the door, asked from within, "Aoshi-sama, who is it?"

Still keeping an eye on the shorter teen, the leader turned back and answered, "Come and see Misao-chan."

Soon, a smaller more slim figure joined Aoshi in the doorway, "I told you not to call me that anymore Aoshi-sama, we're the same age!" complained a young girl wearing a short skirt and t-shirt, her hair carefully done up in a braid.

The quiet teen didn't answer her complaint; instead he barely moved his head to glance over at Himura who still stood partially in the shadows. She followed his gaze and finally noticed the Hitokiri standing nearby.

"W-what? W-who?" Misao-chan asked, but was unable to form or continue her questions.

He bobbed his head and greeted softly, "good evening."

Finally she was able to say, all in a rush while pointing at him, "you're the Battousai."

Himura raised an eyebrow at her statement but didn't reply out loud.

Aoshi turned to address his outspoken female companion, cautiously watching the redhead. "Misao-chan, Himura wishes me to go with him to see, and most likely talk to, his commander. Will you look after the restaurant for me while I'm gone?"

The girl erupted in a shout of anger, "No way! I'm coming with you and that's that!" She glared suspiciously at the redhead who blinked at her clueless. "Who knows what Battousai here will do you in, in a dark alley or somewhere shadowy like that."

"Why would I do such a thing as that?" Himura questioned quietly, still smiling cluelessly at her.

Misao grumbled under her breath and turned away so her back was to him.

Aoshi placed a large hand calmingly on the top of the girl's head, causing her to quiet. "I'm leaving it to you to take care of the restaurant Misao, it's your responsibility."

"Aoshi-sama," she commented, turning around to clasp her hands and gaze at him dreamily.

Himura sighed noisily, bored by the conversation. "It was a pleasure meeting you Misao-san." He said, bobbing his head then turned to look at Aoshi. "I'll be waiting for you Shinomori-san, please do not take long."

With that, the teen disappeared.

"What the-" Misao questioned disbelievingly, eyes wide as she stared at the place where he had been seconds before.

The leader of the Oniwaban silently praised the redhead's skills then tilted the girl's head upward to look at him, "take care of yourself Misao, and I'll do the same for myself."

She pouted but then smiled eagerly, "Alright Aoshi-sama, I'll do my best!" She announced, raising her fist high into eh air.

"That's it." Aoshi agreed, gently shaking her head. "Now stay in there and stay safe."

Misao nodded then stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

After making sure the girl was safe inside, the leader stepped out into the once again dark alley. He stopped, turning every which way to find that other teen. When Aoshi caught no glimpse of red hair or amber. He cast out his ki, searching for a trace of the manslayer's own ki. But there was none, not for as long as he tried.

"Up here Shimomori-san, please follow me." Battousai's voice called to him from somewhere above.

Aoshi looked up and could briefly see a figure standing on top of the roof of the next building over. "How did he get up there!" was his first thought, and then a strong ki flickered into life from the figure he knew it to be Battousai. "He can suppress his sword spirit? How?" went the second realization.

But then it became weaker and further away from him. "This way Shinomori-san!" The red head called again, his voice moving as he spoke.

Shinomori walked quickly down the alley then turned left, following the faint spark of ki he could sense from his companion.

He moved from walking to running after having trouble keeping pace with the other teen. Battousai was much faster then he had thought, despite the fact he was jumping roofs.

The ki suddenly shifted direction and Aoshi skidded around a corner in order to keep up.

"No more thinking while you're running," Shinomori scolded himself as he began to run faster.

Once in a while he looked up at the roofs above him, trying to see his redheaded companion. But the hitokiri managed to stay out of sight all of those times, Aoshi could never see him.

Finally after they had begun running, or roof hopping, for a long time, the leader noticed that he was coming to the end of the series of alleys near the main road of the city.

"Nearly there Shinomori-san," called a soft voice from above.

Aoshi groaned, but continued running after the redhead. Now he wasn't sure this had been a good idea after all.

They crossed the main road, Aoshi by walking and he supposed Battousai by jumping.

A few blocks later the black haired teen realized with a panic that the ki he was following had vanished.

He began scanning around him with his eyes and ki while continuing to run down the alley, trying to sense the redhead.

"We're nearly there Shinomori-san. Only a few blocks more," informed a soft voice from at his side and Aoshi glanced over to see Battousai running next to him, easily keeping up. The leader silently wondered at how quietly- no, silently the teen could move.

They came to a large, dark alley with an abandoned office building standing alone at the end of the alley they were running down.

Beside him Shinomori noticed the hitokiri pause at the opening of the alley and look around carefully. "Please follow me Shinomori-san. Be careful."

The red head stepped out into the empty alley, and then suddenly vanished from Aoshi's sight to reappear at the entrance of the abandoned building. The red head waved Aoshi over and the taller teen carefully followed, watching out for other people.

Battousai gently pushed the front door open and held it for his companion before turning back and closing it behind them.

Aoshi followed the shorter teen down a dark, narrow hallway until they stepped out into the large, main room. Now the two teens walked diagonally across it to stop in front of a large, metal door.

"Katsura-san?" The red head called softly, knocking lightly on the door.

A few minutes later the door creaked open to reveal Katsura standing in the doorframe. He first noticed Battousai.

"Himura?" he asked, readjusting his glasses, "you've returned."

The hitokiri nodded, "yes, and I brought Shinomori-san with me." He stopped aside as the commander stepped forward to shake Aoshi's hand.

"It's nice to meet you Shinomori," the man greeted, smiling friendly. To the red head he instructed, "You may go to bed Himura. Thank you for bringing Shinomori here."

The redhead bobbed his head politely, glanced over at Aoshi then turned and walked quietly over to the metal staircase then up it and crossed over to his room.

Katsura waited until the teen had entered his room and closed the door before speaking. "Thank you for coming Aoshi-san. I hope Himura didn't give you any trouble."

"No, he didn't." Aoshi paused thoughtfully, "I didn't know you were the one responsible for Hitokiri Battousai."

The man looked confused for a few seconds until he said, "Oh, you mean Himura. Yes, our organization would be his so called 'employer.' He is very skillful and efficient with his work."

"Why do you call him Himura, instead of Battousai?" The teen questioned curiously, warming up to this man.

"Himura is his family name. I don't like to call him Battousai, it seems to remind him of the loss of his humanity because of what he's doing for us." Katsura explained emotionally, glancing up at Himura's closed door.

Their conversation lapsed into awkward silence as they stood in place on either side of the doorway.

But then the commander opened the door further and waved Aoshi in, saying, "Excuse my lack of manners Shinomori, please come in." Aoshi followed him inside and they shut the door behind them.

* * *

The next morning Aoshi was sitting at a table in the nearly empty small cafeteria room, eating the breakfast Katsura had recommended him to take advantage of. To his surprise a few minutes later Battousai walked through the double doors, shushing the few other occupants. The red head quickly scanned the room, not meeting anyone's eyes. When he noticed Aoshi, his expression didn't change, but the manslayer walked over to the table and sat down across from the other teen. 

"Good morning," Himura greeted quietly, sliding onto the wooden seat.

Aoshi looked up at him in surprise but returned the greeting. "Good morning yourself." He paused, "did you sleep well last night?"

Battousai raised his eyebrows at the friendliness. "No," he sighed and lowered his chin onto his crossed arms that were resting on the table, "not anymore anyway." The teen questioned, "You stayed here overnight?"

"Yes, it was late by the time Katsura and I finished talking so he convinced me that it would be better to stay the night. I agreed since Misao can take care of the restaurant by herself." Aoshi replied, and then took a forkful of the pile of eggs on his plate.

Himura made an understanding noise then closed his eyes. It was so long before he moved that Aoshi thought his companion had fallen asleep.

To make conversation the black haired teen asked, "are you hungry?" As he raised another forkful of eggs to his mouth.

The redhead shook his head and said, without opening his eyes, "Not really." Aoshi insistently held a spare spoon near his companion's half-hidden face. "Not thanks, I'm not hungry," he disagreed without raising his head.

The teen was inwardly surprised at Battousai, how could he tell where the spoon was without looking? While thinking Shinomori finished off the rest of his breakfast meal, watching the other teen out of the corner of his eye.

"What did Katsura-san talk with you about Shinomori-san?" Himura questioned, gazing up at Aoshi through long flame-orange bangs with curious amber eyes.

Aoshi looked at him after pushing the plate off to the side. "He wants me to join the organization, to work along with you."

Himura raised an eyebrow at him, "and what was your answer?"

"Yes, I suppose." He paused, waiting for a reaction from the red head. When there was none Aoshi continued, "But the Oniwaban will only work alongside the Ishin Shishi, not with them."

Himura nodded agreeably, "I see." He smiled slightly, "well I look forward to working with you."

His Oniwaban companion regarded him for a few minutes before asking hesitantly, "Battousai-"

"Himura."

Aoshi nodded, "Himura then. Can I ask you a personal question?"

The hitokiri looked up at him, not answering but instead waiting for the teen to continue.

"How old are you?" Shinomori questioned curiously, blurting it out which was very unlike him.

Battousai raised his eyebrows and for a second an expression of surprise and confusion was visible on is face, the first display of emotion since he had become a hitokiri. But then the mask returned and he gazed at the other teen with a blank face, "nearly fifteen, I think."

The ninja looked surprised at the redhead. He definitely hadn't expected that glimpse of emotion. Everyone said that Hitokiri Battousai was a cold-hearted, emotionless killer, but the perhaps all of those rumors were false. "What do you mean, you think?"

Himura ducked his head back onto his arms so his face was hidden into the fabric. "Mmm mph nspht." He replied, the words coming out muffled because of the cloth.

"What did you say?" Aoshi questioned curiously, leaning forward partially across the table.

"I can't remember." The redhead sighed, "I don't remember anything from before I came here."

Aoshi stared at him; he hadn't had any idea that this was the situation Himura was in. Perhaps the hitokiri was more human then anyone knew. "Not anything?" he asked. This boy had become a hitokiri when he was only a little older then twelve?

Himura didn't answer, except to nod and then bury his face back in the cloth.

Shinomori stood up to stand beside the table gazing down at the dejected-looking teen, "I have to return to the restaurant Himura. But if you ever need anything, you're welcome to come and talk with me." When he finished speaking Aoshi walked around the table, across the room and through the double doors, leaving the red head sitting alone at the table.

_

* * *

I did see Aoshi after that, many times in fact. He came back to the building fairly often, either to receive requests (they weren't really orders) from Katsura, or to talk. In return I visited the restaurant a few times and there was always a hot meal waiting for me there. The odd thing is that I never saw Misao again, or anyone else who worked in the restaurant, and who I guessed was also Oniwaban. I suppose I should have asked Shinomori-san about her (Misao) sometime in our conversations, but I always either forgot or was hesitant about doing so. __

* * *

Perhaps half a year, or a little more all I knew was that it was summer-hot, humid and noise. One day in the early summer I was sitting in my room on my bed reading, (when Katsura had learned I enjoyed to read he had began to collect books for me), when a black envelope shot out from underneath the door. In truth I was hesitant to open it, I had foolishly thought that since it was now summer I wouldn't be sent out every, or every other, night. _

_Finally I set the book aside, slid off the bed, walked over to and picked up the envelope. My hands shook as I slowly tore it open to reveal a name and address written on the inside in white ink._

_For some reason my eyes only focused on the name of my next target:_

_Hiko Seijuro

* * *

DUN DUN DUN! _

Hee hee.. this is so fun! I enjoyed writing this. Yes next chapter there will be a duel between Hiko and Kenshin.. something for all of you to wait on the edge of your seats for!

Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I appreciate all the comments, suggestions and ego-boosting compliments. XD

If anyone would like to read my NaNoWriMo novel (which I'm not even CLOSE to finishing) the first 'chapter' is under my account of "elvfnchild" on Please read it if you wish and I would appreciate reviews.

If anyone is wondering about my other fics... they ARE COMING! I'm in the process of writing most of them, and hope to have a major update after christmas break (second week of January).

I think thats it...

Please don't forget to review! (I'm asking you nicely!)

Merry christmas/hannukah/other and Happy New Year

ja ne,

miji-chan


	16. Chapter 16

Kendo Club

Ch "?" (even I dont know that O.o)

Alright everyone.. the next chapter is FINALLY up. I'm sorry it took so long, but I didn't like the way it turned out so Yanikei (my beta-er) and I had to do a LOT of fine tuning!

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Hiko was sitting on the couch watching late-night TV, when his senses alerted him that someone loitering in the backyard, waiting for.. for him? 

The man slowly stood up, turned off the television, and walked over to where he had a sword hidden for safety…and emergencies.

He then made his way to the sliding glass door that led to the back yard, and quietly went through it, stepping out onto the patio. Hiko closed the door behind himself and, keeping a cautious hand hovering near his sword, slowly walked across the patio-his shoes barely making a sound on the bricks.

"Who's there?"

No response was made to the question and in the silence the wind howled through the trees and the crickets chirped loudly.

Hiko slowly took a step out onto the grass, turning his head to try and find the person he had sensed before.

"Hiko Seijuro, I presume?" asked a disembodied voice from above, positioned somewhere in one of the trees.

Hiko spun to face the tree, scowling at it darkly. Barely visible in the shadows, a half-hidden figure sat in the lower branches. A soft laugh called Hiko's attention to the figure, who said, "No need to scowl at me, Seijuro-san. I am here for a higher purpose."

The stranger jumped off of the branch of the tree, softly landing in its shadow. "And what would that be?" Hiko snapped at it, wondering why the voice was so familiar.

The light from the street lamps gleamed off of the stranger's teeth as he smiled, an unemotional gesture. "I have come to deliver Tenchu." He stepped into the light, and Hiko saw him clearly for the first time.

"Kenshin?"

The redhead didn't react to his name. "It is time for you to die by my hands, Seijuro-san." He drew his sword and rushed at Hiko, who had to put all questions about his nephew's strange new behavior out of his mind and parry the blow. He tried to strike Kenshin back, but the boy had already moved on and was attacking him again from a new direction. Hiko was surprised at Kenshin's speed- the boy had never shown this before in his training sessions. Hiko couldn't do much more than block, Kenshin was attacking too rapidly to attack back.

Several exchanges later, the teen drew back out of Hiko's range and rested while studying his opponent carefully, and watching to make sure he wasn't ambushed. Hiko took the chance to question Kenshin. "Kenshin, why are you trying to kill me?" he demanded. Kenshin didn't respond to the demand, or his name. Apparently deciding that he'd rested enough he walked forward and engaged Hiko, nimbly dodging the few attacks directed at him, making the swords sing with each attack.

Kenshin, although extremely fast, was not using any advanced Hiten Mitsurugi techniques in the fight. Hiko noticed this, and managed to form the basic beginnings of a plan.

After a few minutes of the deadly dance, accompanied only by the ringing of steel and their heavy breathing, Hiko attacked. Kenshin spun to avoid it, and Hiko quickly darted in and used the flat of his blade to hit the backs of Kenshin's knees. Kenshin fell, but managed to recover, flipping to his feet and pointing his sword at Hiko's neck, only millimeters away from Hiko's jugular vein.

Hiko raised his sword so the two blades rested against each other. "Why?" Hiko asked again. No answer, other than Kenshin pulling his blade away and attacking relentlessly, pausing after every few strikes to circle the man. After the fifth such exchange, Hiko had noticed the amber of Kenshin's eyes and his cross-shaped scar. So. They had turned the boy into a heartless assassin. But how, and why?

Hiko wanted answers. He glared at Kenshin, his annoyance clearly showing, and swung carelessly at him. Kenshin easily dodged the attack by getting close to Hiko where he couldn't be hit by the sword on its careless path. Hiko quickly recovered and swung at Kenshin again, who simply moved behind Hiko and tried to make him lose his balance by sweeping a leg out from under him. It didn't work, but it distracted Hiko. When he was focused again, he looked around. The redhead was gone.

He turned in a circle, trying to find the teen while simultaneously casting out his ki to see if he could sense the boy that way. No luck. The kid wasn't himself any more, he was now an assassin, a shadow in the darkness, and his spirit was too different to detect.

Hiko looked around again, trying to locate Kenshin, and then finally looked up. Quickly, he raised his sword to prevent an aerial attack by Kenshin, from splitting him in half. Seeking to gain the upper hand, Hiko used his strength, and, the two crossed swords as leverage, to throw Kenshin back across the yard. He expected the boy to flip and land on his feet, but instead he crashed full-force into a tree, his back slamming into the trunk. Hiko sheathed his sword and cursed inwardly before yelling, "What the heck were you thinking, baka?" at Kenshin as he watched the teen slide down the trunk to land in a crumpled heap at the bottom.

As usual, there was no answer. The readhead sat there, not making a sound or moving a muscle. Hiko only knew the boy was conscious because he could see him breathing. He was either brooding or plotting, and Hiko couldn't tell which. He grew annoyed and barked at Kenshin, "Kenshin Shinta Himura! Why are you doing this?"

To his surprise, Kenshin looked up, directly at him. The boy's cold amber eyes flickered at the sound of his full name. Hiko watched with hope rising in his chest as the amber flickered, until something occured in Kenshin's mind and the amber came back full-force, while the boy became distant and calculating again. Hiko, sighed, discouraged. Kenshin had almost returned, the _real_ Kenshin. However, something had caused him to withdraw again, something had stopped him from remembering his past.

Hiko decided to experiment, softly saying, "Kenshin."

No response. No flickering. No reaction.

Just cold, calculating, amber eyes.

"Listen Kenshin," Hiko called, his voice gentle and persuading, "you don't have to do this. You don't have to kill me." He raised both of his hands upward, releasing the hilt of his sword. "Just set your sword down on the ground, and we can talk." As a show of faith, the man reached down, took off the sheathed sword and placed it gently in the grass. Straightening, he steadily watched the teen.

The redhead made no move to copy Hiko's actions, instead he continued to sit underneath the tree while studying his opponent carefully and perhaps also curiously.

Suddenly, the man had an inspired idea, "Shinta, please. Put down the sword," Hiko said, trying to persuade the boy's gentler nature to a truce. However, the idea, although brilliant, didn't work. Kenshin didn't react to his childhood name. Hiko racked his brain for another idea that would help his nephew.

Kenshin slowly began to struggle upright, digging his fingers into the trunk of the tree for support as he gradually made his way to a standing position, leaning against the tree for relief. Pushing himself away, he took two firm steps forward and then abruptly stopped, gripping the hilt of his sword. Hiko watched carefully, trying to sense an attack, but Kenshin's ki was masked.

Deliberately, Kenshin lowered himself into a battojutsu stance, his hand poised over his hilt and his eyes watching Hiko, calculating the force that would be needed to overcome the strong man. Minutes passed. Then, on an impalpable signal, Kenshin darted forward, drawing his sword as he drew nearer to the man. Hiko stood there, watching coolly as the boy rushed towards him. When Kenshin's blade flew up at him, he used the only defense available to him and caught the blade between his hands.

"Don't try to use Hiten Mitsurugi techniques on me, baka. I taught you everything you know."

Kenshin didn't respond to his sword being caught or Hiko's reprimand. He only kept a firm grip on the hilt, and watched Hiko's hands inscrutably. Hiko tugged on the blade of the sword, pulling it out of Kenshin's grip. Quickly, he tossed the sword carelessly away and squeezed a pressure point on Kenshin's neck. The redhead slumped forward, unconscious. Hiko picked up his own sword, slung the teen over his shoulder and walked slowly into the house.

* * *

Acting in the role of a caring parent, Hiko undressed the boy, bathed him, reclothed the teen and put him to bed-pulling the covers over the thin body, then quietly exited-locking the door to the room. The redhead slept for days, restlessly tossing and turning, twisting his sheets into one huge, tangled pile. While he recovered, all the doors and windows in the house were closed and locked, preventing anyone from entering- or leaving. 

Several times a day, Hiko unlocked the bedroom door and looked inside, checking on his nephew. He always found the boy sleeping soundly, lying on his side, eyes closed. Then, one time that Hiko went to check, the teen was awake and surveying his surroundings. Hiko entered and closed the door. The click of it closing alerted Kenshin to another's presence, and he sat up, staring accusingly at Hiko with cold, amber eyes. "You are Hiko Seijuro?"

"Yes."

"Then I have failed," he stated emotionlessly, resting his head on his knees. "My orders have not been fulfilled. You are still alive. I have failed,"

Hiko scowled at the boy. "That's not true Kenshin," he scolded, but continued when there was no argument, "It's a good thing you didn't kill me. If you had, you'd still be out there, killing people."

The teen scoffed quietly. "Of course I would be, that's my job. I'm just an assassain."

"Are you hungry? There's some left over ham and eggs," Hiko questioned, trying to change the subject and take the boy's mind off of his "failure."

But the redhead just shook his head, not turning to look at the man, "why should I eat, when my life no longer has any purpose?" Then he began to whisper to himself again, his head still resting on his knees, refusing so much as to look at the other man.

Hiko sighed, slid off the bed and exited again, leaving the teen alone in the strange room with his depressing thoughts, then locked the door behind him.

* * *

After that, the boy slept restlessly. As the days went on, and the week ended, he began having nightmares of his past deeds-seeing many of his murdered victims again, covered in blood and pointing accusing fingers at him. 

When the seven days were over, the bad dreams suddenly stopped and the teen was left alone to sleep in peace. He was able to sleep easily while the drug he had been receiving weekly, to keep him from remembering his memories and to keep him obedient to Katsura, slowly made its way out of his system.

A few days later, when he was completely free of the medicine and its effects, the memories returned. Not in a flood, but instead in a thin stream. Each time he fell asleep more came and the teen remembered even more of his life before becoming a hitokiri.

Finally, several mornings past, nearly all of them had returned.

* * *

Hiko walked into his nephew's room, carrying a tray loaded with food that he had cooked himself. He shut the door with his foot, then set the tray down on the dresser before pulling a chair up to the side of the bed. 

He sat for a few minutes, watching the teen sleep peacefully- reminding Hiko of the kid his nephew had once been.

Then the man reached across the bed to gently shake the redheads shoulder, "wake up Kenshin."

But instead of replying, or actually waking up, the boy mumbled something and snuggled deeper underneath the covers.

Hiko growled softly, then shook the kids shoulder again. "Time to get up boy, rise and shine." When his nephew only mumbled quietly, he spoke again, "wake up baka, or I'll get a bucket of water to pour on you."

The man had expected the teen to react to the usual threat for not waking up when he was supposed to, but this time there was none. Becoming frustrated, Hiko shook the thin shoulder more roughly-then tensed, waiting for the firm grip on his wrist and glaring amber eyes.

Instead the redhead grumbled something, then rubbed his eyes, "Uncle?" asked a quiet, sleepy voice.

Hiko withdrew his hand, blinking down at the teen in surprise, "Kenshin?" he questioned cautiously.

"Mmm," the teen answered, then slowly opened his eyes to peer at Hiko with sleepy violet.

The man nearly smiled at that sight; they were warm violet, not empty amber. "Well, well. Look who's finally awake," he teased, masking his happiness at having the boy back.

Kenshin slowly sat up, continuing to look at his uncle. He didn't smile or twitch at the teasing, instead his expression showed he was wary but curious.

"Are you feeling better, boy?" Hiko questioned, trying not to sound as worried as he was.

The redhead slightly bobbed his head in answer, but then the violet eyes slid sideways to look curiously around the room-as if he had never seen it before. His head turned as his eyes moved, surveying everything and anything occupying the space around them.

Curious at his nephews reaction, the man asked, "what's wrong Kenshin?"

But the boy didn't answer, instead he slowly slid off the bed, stood up and immediately waved his arms to recover his balance after nearly falling. He stood once more and walked over to stand in front of the dresser.

Kenshin's eyes traveled over the numerous picture frames littering the dresser, mainly of family photos, then caught sight of the tray laying on the other side. He crept closer to the wooden tray and peered closely at it and its contents. "You can cook?" he asked after a few seconds, sounding surprised.

Hiko again nearly smiled, "a few things." He admitted, then added quickly, "but not very well."

"Oh," was the redhead's distant reply. After that he continued to walk around the room, looking at everything. A long silence took place as Kenshin examined the room.

Hiko grew weary of the silence, and said, "A lot has changed while you've been gone," causing Kenshin to pause in his examination of the room, and look at Hiko before turning back to look at a picture on the wall. Hiko watched his nephew, noting the scar revealed when Kenshin absently brushed his hair away from his face. It had faded now, only a faint shadow of it was left on his skin.

Hiko shook himself out of his reverie, and continued to talk to Kenshin. "I'm a teacher at a high school now," he said, telling Kenshin of the major changes. "And I'm also the kendo instructor for the after-school club they recently started," he smirked. Kenshin flinched at the word kendo, and Hiko decided not to continue explaining it. "And Ishi had a son, right after you left."

"Ishi?" Kenshin questioned blankly, revealing that he had, in fact, been listening. "Ishi..." He drummed his fingers on the top of the dresser, obviously trying to remember who the name belonged to. He turned and looked at Hiko, wide-eyed. "Aunt Ishi?"

"Yes, Ishi- my sister, your Mom's sister, your aunt," he nodded. "She would be the one," he added sarcastically.

"A son?" Kenshin turned back to the wall, holding the photograph he had unhooked from it.

Hiko nodded again, although Kenshin couldn't see him. "Yes, he would be about four now. A very cute little boy." He smirked, again without Kenshin seeing, and watched the boy carefully as he added, "She named him Shinta."

The photograph Kenshin was holding fell to the ground with a thud, and Kenshin was very, very still as he asked, his voice barely a whisper, "W-what did you just say?"

"She named him Shinta. You heard me," Hiko repeated, annoyed, yet also worried.

Kenshin slowly lowered his head until it was resting on the wall. "Why? Why did she-" he stopped as his throat constricted and his body shook with silent sobs.

"Why did she name him that?" Hiko finished for his nephew, getting up to stand next to his chair, "Who knows? I don't understand how your aunt's mind works." He paused, listening to the boys quiet sobs. "But, I can think of some possibilities. One, that Ishi wanted to maintain your honor, the honor and meaning behind that name." Hiko paused to chose his next words carefully, "However, I think it is much more likely that she named her boy "Shinta," to remind you of your childhood, of how happy you were, and," he paused cautiously, knowing that his next words might break the fragile teen, "to help you find, and remember, what you've seemed to lost."

His nephew broke down, his thin body shaking wildly while silent tears ran down the pale face and soft gasps, sobs and hiccupping noises escaped from his partly opened mouth.

Hiko stood and walked over to the door, opening it as he said, "the eggs and ham are there for you to eat, if you want them." Then he closed the door, leaving it unlocked this time.

The boys quiet sobs and hiccups filled the empty room, reminding him just how hard his life had been…and how harsh the memories of those times were.

* * *

Yay! Kenshins back! well...sorta . 

Anyways, like I said this chapter was REALLY hard to write, mostly cause I stink at writing fight scenes which is basically what most of this chapter consists of. Also I hold the belief that the begining stinks, but that it goes downhill from there. So please, if you are a kind reader, please review to help me distinguish that belief. One more note: Microsoft Word stunk for editing this chapter, so I did it on my own.

If you can't tell I'm kinda going through a depressive mood right now, nothing serious, so it took me a long time to write this chapter, and also it might take me just as long to get the next one up. I would greatly appreciate support from you all, my wonderful supportive readers, so please leave review. (Also Minnesota winters DO NOT HELP)

Thanks to everyone who reviewed least chapter... I really appreciate it! We're over 100 REVIEWS! O.o

Also, if anyone wants to read a hilariously funny/amusing fanfic, check out the Narrorators (I know I spelled that wrong) fic "Kenshin Outtakes." It's in my profile under "favorites" for a shortcut. One example: Two words Guaranteed to floor any of the Kenshin-gumi:

"Saitou's married"

XD That just cracked me up the first and every time I read it. Plus Saitou has obsession with super-glue. XD. Warnign though, be ready for pervertedness. And those Saitou obsessors, be careful reading it. Yanikei was ranting over her "Saitou-sama" for days.

Thanks again... please review!

ja ne,

miji-chan


	17. Chapter 17

Kendo Club

Ch 17

Well here we are again! I had planned to update this BEFORE I went on Spring Break, but nothing worked out that way. But now I'm back in the cold with a TAN! Yes!

Anyways... hope you enjoy. Just FYI, this chapter has been tweaked a LOT.

* * *

If an outsider were to watch Hiko and Kenshin, they would conclude that things were almost back to normal, they way they had been before Kenshin had left. The outsider, however, would be wrong. There was always an awkwardness between the two men, one that stemmed from the fact that they no longer got along, and they annoyed each other now more than ever.

Or, perhaps, Hiko just no longer knew how to respond to Kenshin.

Hiko was used to the boy being outspoken, argumentative and spirited. A wonderful cook, too, and although he wouldn't admit it, a highly talented swordsman. Now, however, he was silent and withdrawn, never cooked or practiced kata (not that he could, since Hiko had hidden his swords and locked the dojo).

He could no longer predict his nephew's responses, either. Kenshin seemed to have a set of three he drew upon; a harsh, sarcastic remark while his eyes flashed scarily, a superior smirk with no other expression, and, most terrifying of all, a blank stare while he detached himself from reality. Hiko had no idea what to do in those situations, so mostly he left Kenshin alone when it happened.

Hiko wasn't sure the boy could take care of himself, but money was beginning to run low, and he had to return to work. After an internal battle, he surmised that Kenshin would be fine as long as he kept the dojo locked, and the swords kept away. He informed the school that he'd be returning to his teaching position the next day, and then lectured Kenshin on what was acceptable and what was most definitely not before he left.

Kenshin listened, but obviously wasn't interested. His bland expression showed just how bored he was with the lecture, and the rules, and Hiko's constant admonitions. Perched on the arm of the couch, he watched with distant eyes and what was either a smirk or a smile playing around the edges of his mouth. Hiko grew annoyed and told Kenshin the last rule while glaring fiercely at the teen. The teen blankly blinked back.

"Alright, boy, I have to leave," Hiko announced as he moved to the door, throwing on his coat. As he placed his hand on the doorknob, he turned and spoke to Kenshin one last time. "Behave yourself. Don't do anything rash or hasty."

Kenshin met his eyes and raised an eyebrow, taunting Hiko. "Since when is making food rash or hasty? Well, with you, I suppose it is... I'll be fine, though."

Hiko frowned at him, then before the boy could make another snide remark he fiercely swung the door open and stormed out, slamming it behind him.

The redhead smiled to himself and slid of the arm of the couch, to settle on the end cushion. He found the remote, pulled a blanket over himself, and for the rest of the day amused himself by watching the programs that were screening. Later in the day, after lunch and a snack, he fell asleep in front of the TV in the familiar, safe house.

* * *

On the threshold of her brother's house, Ishi shifted her little son so he rested more comfortably against her side and rang the doorbell. After waiting a few minutes, she pushed the button repeatedly, irritated that no-one answered.

On the couch, Kenshin snapped awake at the high-pitched buzzing noise, and sprang up to look frantically around the room. It took him a few moments to realise that it was the doorbell, relax, and realise that he did, in fact, have to go answer the door. After a muttered curse, he hurried to the door, redoing his now messy ponytail on the way. He took a deep breath, and then opened the door.

Ishi sighed irritably, about to try holding down the doorbell button when she heard something click. She twisted slightly, and then turned to look at the door, which was now standing fully open. She stepped forward cautiously, hushing her son as she leaned in to look around. "Hello?" No answer. "Hiko? Nii-san? This isn't funny, you know!" she protested, and stepped inside.

Ishi saw a flash of red in the corner of her eye and whirled to face it, just as Shinta pointed in the direction she whirled and said, "red." What she saw left her awestruck, and with her eyes wide in surprise, she whispered, "Kenshin?"

The teen blinked, but didn't answer. Ishi knew it was her lost nephew. How many teens had flaming red hair, like Kenshin? His looks had changed over the years though, his hair was longer and his way of tying it was different. His eyes were now a sharp violet, instead of the innocent blue they used to be. He also was acting strange, instead of an exuberant greeting he was staring at her with those violet eyes, tensely, waiting for something to happen.

Still, even if he wasn't acting himself, he was her sweet, thoughtful, lovable nephew. floor. "It's great to see you're here," the woman commented, walking slowly forward with her arms spread until she was level with the teen and wrapped herself around him. He stiffened at the physical touch and closeness, but Ishi didn't release him from her embrace.

"I'm so glad you're safe Kenshin, we were worried about you," she smiled and partially released him so that she could look him in the face. "But you're back now, that's all that matters."

The teen continued to gaze at her with wary, blank eyes, not reacting to her warm words. Finally a few minutes later he replied softly, "Hello, Aunt Ishi."

She smiled up at her nephew, then pulled him close to her again and embraced his thin, tired body. When Ishi let him go the redhead nearly smiled for his aunt, but then he saw out of the corner of his eye the little boy sitting on the floor, and for a few seconds he stopped breathing.

"Kenshin?" Ishi asked in almost a whisper. The redhead ignored as he stepped past her, his eyes locked on the black-haired little boy. He moved until he was just a few steps away and then kneeled, and caught Shinta's attention.

"Hi there," Kenshin said softly. "What's your name?"

The little boy stared at Kenshin with bright blue eyes. "S'nta," he replied, and then smiled brilliantly. "S'nta!"

"Nice to meet you, Shinta," Kenshin's smile wavered as he said the name. "I'm Kenshin. Your cousin."

"Ken'n?" He looked confused, the small forehead creased and then small front teeth bit into the lip. "Ken-ni," he declared, making Kenshin's smile grow a little. "Kenny!" the little boy said again, grinning ear to ear, then leaped forward to wrap his arms as far as they would reach around his older cousin.

Kenshin smiled for real and returned the embrace, tightly holding his little cousin, and namesake, to him. He closed his eyes, soaking in the moment.

Behind them Ishi watched the pair, grateful that her boy could bring her lost nephew so much happiness, and also grateful that Shinta was so happy himself.

"What is this, a soap opera?" An irritated voice barked at them from the open doorway. "Move, you're blocking the door to the room."

Ishi turned to see her brother standing behind them, "so _now_ you decide to show up." She scolded irritably.

Hiko frowned at her, then raised a eyebrow questioningly. In response she indicated Kenshin and Shinta with a slight jerk of her head. Hiko smirked. "If you keep squishing him like that, boy, he'll suffocate."

Kenshin stiffened and pulled away from his cousin, slowly straightening and then rising to stand with his back to the other two.

"Kenny?" Shinta asked curiously.

The redhead forced himself to smile, and struggled to put even the smallest one on his face. He put a finger to his lips and the young boy nodded and mimicked the action.

"Kenshin," Ishi spoke his name softly, almost worriedly.

Hiko laughed in an insulting kind of way, "he's fine Ishi, the boy's strong. No need to worry at all."

The teen slowly turned to face his uncle, then gazed at him with cold, hard eyes. "I wouldn't talk if I were you uncle, since your opinion obviously means nothing." Kenshin replied icily.

Ishi stared back and forth between them, wondering why there was such an awkwardness between the two. They had used to get along so well before, and why was Kenshin being so cold?

"Is that right?" Hiko questioned sarcastically, smirking.

The redhead didn't reply, instead he just continued to stare icily at the other man, his face devoid of expression.

"Mommy?" Shinta whispered quietly, walking over to tug gently on her shirt.

"Shh, honey," she whispered back, then patted him on the head. "I think Uncle Hiko and Kenny need to talk."

There was an unspoken argument or conversation between the Uncle and nephew for several minutes, which ended with Hiko growling under his breath and turning away.

Kenshin smirked mischeviously at the other man, and then said softly, but triumphantly, "fine."

The woman was still confused, even more so now. What had just happened?

She was surprised when the redhead walked over to her and Shinta, then stopped and bent down, smiling softly at the boy. "Hey Shinta, how about we go and leave your mom and uncle Hiko alone?" he questioned, reaching down to gently hold his cousin's small hand.

The boy nodded meekly and let Kenshin slowly lead him away from the adults, through the living room, and into the kitchen.

Ishi waited until they had disappeared into the other room to ask, "how long ago did he come back to you?"

"Little longer then three weeks maybe." Hiko shrugged uncertainly, glancing at the open doorway then back at his sister.

That woman sighed, "he's changed, a lot." Such a comment was met with silence from the Peanut's Gallery. "Not that I'm blaming you," she said quickly.

Hiko glared at her, "It wasn't my fault. The boy was like this when he returned. Actually, he was worse before, even more cold and withdrawn."

Ishi sighed, "I can't believe it, my dear, sweet Kenshin acting this way. It's not like him at all."

"After what's happened to him, I don't blame the kid," his uncle grumbled under his breath, almost...mournfully?

Ishi turned sharply towards him, her eyes like ice. "What do you mean?"

But Hiko shook his head and refused to meet that cold gaze, "Kenshin should tell you, it's his life." He sighed, "but most likely he won't, the stubborn baka."

"Nii-san, tell me." She leaned forward towards him, then her voice fell to a whisper. "If something is troubling my nephew and I am able to help him, then I want to do just that." The woman pointed forcefully at her chest, "he has become like a son to me and I care very, very much for him. So you tell me right now, or I will march in there and ask the boy himself!"

The man blinked slowly, then replied gruffly, "it was his choice to go, but it wasn't his choice to come back. He didn't mean to."

"What do you mean?"

Hiko sighed, "he didn't want to come back Ishi. He came back for a completely different reason."

She shook her head confusedly, "I-I still don't understand."

"When he ran away from us, Kenshin was recruited by the Ishin Shishi. They took him and they formed him into, well I'm sure you've heard the rumors."

"Rumors?"

The man scowled, "don't play dumb with me Ishi, you know what I'm talking about." He paused then went on, "I know you know the rumors, about the blood-demon assassin, with amber eyes and blood-red hair who lurks in the shadows and murders people with his sword."

"No, no…" Ishi murmured, the realization hitting her.

"That's what they turned him into: a cold-hearted assassin who killed on their demand." Hiko sighed, "that's why he came back here- the boy was ordered to kill me. And, because he didn't recognize me, the fool nearly did. I stopped him just in time."

Ishi frowned, struggling to believe what her brother was saying. "You mean Kenshin was the infamous Hitokiri Battousai? I, I-"

Her brother frowned annoyed at her, "he _was_, Ishi. But now he's both Kenshin and the Battousai. The baka's showing aspects of both of those personalities. He's fighting to find the balance of the two." The man sighed, "and I can't tell if he's winning or losing."

"Poor Kenshin, I feel so sorry for him," Ishi whispered, tears ready at the corner of her eyes.

"He doesn't need us to feel sorry for him, or to pity him. That baka needs us to help him learn how to cope with what he's done, he needs us to be supportive of him."

She smiled at him, almost. "You're getting soft, baka ni-san. You're showing how much you really care for the boy. Before we know it, you'll be over emotional and a big softie."

Hiko glowered at her, scowling angrily.

Ishi laughed, "don't look at me like that Hiko, I was just teasing you. I could never see you being like that."

"Hmph."

His sister rolled her eyes, then glanced over towards the kitchen-temporarily hearing Kenshin and Shinta's soft voices conversing quietly. Then she looked back at her brother, and sighed dramatically. "I named my son Shinta because I thought it would give Kenshin a chance to remember what his life used to be like, how happy he used to be." She paused, frowning, "and, to keep his memory alive if he did never return. But it seems like Shinta's given him even more then that." She smiled happily, "Kenshin just looked so happy when he saw Shinta, and also while they were talking."

Hiko frowned thoughtfully at her, "when I told him you had named your son with his birth name, he broke down and cried. The kid cried for a long time; loud, hard, heart-wrenching sobs."

Ishi silently stared at the floor, unsure of what to say.

"But, in the end I think he accepted it." He shook his head, "I don't know Ishi… all I do know is that the boy severely regrets what he's done and that he is still learning to heal from it."

"How," the woman choked on that one word that was so important, "how much did they hurt him? How much of his spirit did they destroy?"

Her brother looked directly at her, his eyes cold and fierce, "you've seen him, Ishi, what do you think?" He asked simply.

The woman didn't answer that, but she didn't have to. Nii-san was right, she had seen Kenshin and she had also seen the damage that had been done to him, the part that was visible at least.

They were silent for several minutes, considering everything that had changed in such little time.

Into that silence Shinta quietly walked in from the kitchen through the room and over to his mother. He tugged gently on her jeans, his other hand's thumb firmly in his mouth. "Ka-san?"

Ishi started from her thoughts at the soft, cautious voice of her son. She looked down at him then gently untangled his hand from her clothes and knelt to face him. He looked worried, very worried. "What's wrong, honey?"

The boy shifted his weight and mumbled something around the thumb in his mouth, not looking at her.

"I can't understand you honey," Ishi told him softly, gently tugging his hand away from his mouth, and brushing the hair out of his eyes. "Tell me again honey, what's bothering you?"

Shinta moved uncertainly, then said quietly, "Kenny's being weird, sometin's wrong."

Ishi blinked at him then quickly stood up. Was Kenshin okay?

Her brother cleared his throat, "I'll go check on him."

"No, I will." The woman kneeled again and lovingly hugged her son. "Thank you, Shinta."

She left the boy, and the man, and skirted around the furniture that was placed recklessly around the room. Ishi stopped in the arched open doorway of the kitchen to see Kenshin bent over the counter, his forehead resting on the cold marble and his clenched fists resting beside his head. The teen was shaking harshly but quietly, and Ishi couldn't tell if he was crying or if he was having a fit of some kind.

"Kenshin?" she questioned quietly, stepping cautiously closer to him, her eyes fixed on his small figure. He didn't respond, the name falling on deaf ears. The shaking continued and he also stiffened a little in her presence. The woman continued closer to her nephew, step-by-step until she was standing beside him. "Kenshin?"

Ishi heard a soft intake of breath, and before she knew it there was a knife being pressed into the side of her neck, while her wrists were gripped together in one of Kenshin's hands.

She raised her head to meet a pair of startlingly cold, violet amber-flecked eyes. The woman steeled herself to not pull her hands away, or flinch away from the knife at her throat and so they stayed that way, frozen in time for several minutes until Ishi asked quietly again, "Kenshin?"

He didn't respond, except to keep gazing at her with dangerously empty amber-flecked eyes. His expression didn't change, not even when he pressed a little harder with the knife against her throat.

"I know you won't hurt me Kenshin. I know you love me too much," She told him softly, meeting his empty gaze with cool brown eyes. Was this the Battousai she was facing? Was this how he had been as the Battousai, so calm and detached?

To her relief the teen started, his hand dropping away from her throat to rest at his side. His hand opened to drop the knife it was holding. Coldness faded from his eyes, and awareness slowly took its place as the amber-flecked violet eventually became hard violet.

"Aunt, aunt Ishi?" his quiet voice asked confusedly, as if he were speaking from a distance.

The woman smiled happily. "Kenshin," she breathed, then stepped cautiously forward and enveloped him in a tight, loving hug. He tensed at the touch at first, but then leaned into the embrace and rested his head on her shoulder. Ishi squeezed his thin body once then hugged him tighter, trying to reassure her nephew.

"I'm so sorry," the teen whispered into the fabric of her shirt, clutching at it. She heard him sob a few times before he continued. "I, I didn't mean to hurt you. I would never hurt you on purpose." He gasped for breath, then went on, the tears and pain evident in his voice, "I, I just didn't recognize you!" the redhead commented harshly, as if he were angry with himself. "I'm so, so, so sorry Aunt Ishi. I'm so very sorry."

His aunt hugged him tightly as she took in his rushed, quiet speech. He should know that she he would never hurt her, he should know. "It's alright Kenshin, it's alright." She raised her hand to gently run her fingers through his long hair. "I know you would never hurt me, or anyone else you loved."

She heard him gasp before he pulled away from her, releasing his hair and clothes from her hands. The redhead regarded her carefully with hard, violet eyes for several long seconds before he walked forward, carefully skirting around her, and left the kitchen.

Ishi turned, composing herself, in time to see her nephew silently enter the shadowed hall and a few seconds later enter on of the room and slam the door behind him.

Then she slowly walked out of the kitchen and paused just beyond the doorway, gazing at the place where Kenshin had disappeared.

There was a rustle of cloth and a soft clearing of the throat to her left, and then Ishi turned to meet her brothers eyes. A moment of understanding passed between them, and Hiko rose from where he had been talking with Shinta to cross the room and enter the hallway.

Her son had turned at the same time as his uncle, and he now met her eyes, looking more relieved then worried.

Ishi wordlessly walked over and knelt before the boy, then tightly pressed the boy against her chest.

* * *

Hiko stood in front of the teens doorway, wondering what had been "wrong" with his nephew, according to Shinta, and if his sister had done something to help or if she had done something to make it worse.

There was a loud "thump" from the other side of the door, the sound of an object hitting another with a strong force, and a minute later Kenshins soft voice called, "you can come in, Uncle."

The man placed a hand on the doorknob and slowly turned it, then pushed the door open making it creak as it moved. He saw his nephew laying on his bed, resting on a pile of pillows. There was a pile of something next to him, and he was twirling on of those somethings in his hand.

"What are you doing?" Hiko questioned, closing the door behind him and then gazing quickly around the room.

The teen glanced over at him, smirking mischieviously. He then stopped twirling the object, and tilted his head to peer at the back of the door.

Hiko looked in the same direction and to his surprise there was a makeshift dart board-ish thing hanging there, with many holes already punctured in it.

"What on earth are-" he questioned both confused and surprised.

As he asked the teen narrowed his eyes in concentration and then in one fluid motion raised his hand and threw the object at the door. It avoided the man by almost a foot then buried itself point first into the board.

The Uncle stared intently at the door, and then back at his nephew who was smiling lopsidedly, fingering another object. Hiko glanced once again at the board and noticed to his surprise that were was a knife stuck into it.

"You're throwing knives? At the door?"

Kenshin raised his eyebrows mockingly, then picked up another knife and, after weighing it slightly, threw it at the board. He threw a few more until they were all sticking out of the board.

"How did you learn to throw knives like that?" questioned Hiko, glancing at the door where nearly all of the silverware-turned-kunai were clustered directly in the center of the dartboard where a bullseye had been drawn.

His nephew glanced over, then slid off the bed and walked over to the door from which he pulled all the knives out off, gathering them in his hand. "Friends," he replied shortly as he returned to the comfortable piece of furniture.

"Friends," the man echoed doubtfully, blinking. He leaned against the wall so he could see both the door and the teen.

"Yes," Kenshin agreed, then shifted against the pillows until he was comfortable. A few seconds passed and he resumed throwing the knives,

Hiko was quiet for a few minutes, puzzling over the concept of "friends" his nephew was talking about. For that amount of time the only sound in the the room was the one made by the knives as they hit the board, and the quiet technical buzzing of the television still on in the living room.

When the teen rose again, the older man demanded, "who are these supposed 'friends' of yours?"

Kenshin paused in his act of taking the weapon-silverware out of the board to turn and smile secretively at his uncle. Hiko waited for the boy to speak, but instead he tilted his head to the side, smiled and returned to his task.

By now the man was thoroughly frustrated with his nephew, reduced to standing against the wall grinding his teeth and glaring angrily once and again at the teen who was acting clueless and indifferent.

'The past Kenshin would never act like this,' Hiko thought, then caught himself. 'Is that true?' he asked silently, 'did he really never behave so indifferent before? Was he really like this then as well?'

"Stop acting childishly, baka, all I want to know is who these friends of yours are, were." The older man scolded irritated, glaring coldly.

The teen was in the act of walking back to the bed with knives in hand, when Hiko snapped at him. He abruptly stopped in his place and turned to stare blankly with wide, but dull, violet eyes. "What?"

Hiko scowled and stamped over towards the teen, "just tell me, stop playing with me on this."

Kenshin continued on his way to the bed, not making eye contact again with the man as he walked, and then crawled across the covers to relax against the headboard. When Hiko didn't make a reply or response, the redhead sighed and closed his eyes.

"The Oniwaban."

His uncle choked, then stood gasping for awhile until his breathing and heartbeat were under control again. "You know people in the _Oniwaban_?"

The teen nodded, "yes."

"You have friends in the Oniwaban, the most elite, talented group of ninjas in this city?" he questioned disbelievingly, eyebrows raised.

"Yes."

Hiko frowned, "that's ridiculous…how?"

The redhead blinked confused at him, then opened his mouth. It hung open for a few moments before he closed it again without saying anything.

"Well?"

Kenshin frowned, then went back to throwing the knives at the door, mouth set in a firm, grim line.

From looking at his nephew Hiko could tell something had happened with the teen, he was acting withdrawn again. He sighed annoyed, "fine then, don't tell me if you don't find it necessary to." A moment went by before the man muttered softly, "the Oniwaban."

"Yes, the Oniwaban," the redhead echoed snappishly, sounding tired and impatient. "Yes, they are my 'friends' and yes, they are the ones who taught me how to throw knives, among other things."

The man frowned, annoyed that the boy was mocking him and the teen had been, and was, hiding things from him. "Kenshin…"

He threw another knife, more forcefully at the door, "if there's nothing more you want to say Uncle, please leave." Another knife hit the cardboard.

Hiko blinked, had Kenshin just ordered him to do something? He shook his head to rid himself of the questions and uncertainties. "Fine." The man moved towards the door, keeping a watchful eye out for any stray knives. "If you need something, come tell me," he opened the door and stepped through the doorway. "Ishi and Shinta might leave soon if you want to say goodbye."

The teen didn't reply and continued to stare off into space opposite him, eyes unfocused and his face a mask.

His Uncle paused just outside the hall, turning to glance at the boy for a few moments before turning back and closing the door behind him.

* * *

A few days later, after school at kendo club practice Hiko was running his students through some basic drills. He noticed a few of them having trouble and decided to approach them after practice, especially Kamiya. The girl had a lot of skill and potential, but she need to try harder.

"Alright, one more round and then all of you are done," Hiko called to the students, causing a chorus of triumphant shouts to start. "Quiet!"

The teens obediently quieted in a second, exchanging eye rolls and funny faces behind the man's back. Twenty minutes later Hiko announced the end of practice, telling them to put the bokken away then get their things and leave. He had seen a flash of red once in that small amount of time, but convinced himself it was from the headlights of a car going by. When he sent out his ki to search, he found no one nearby, except for the students.

Hiko told himself he was just being paranoid and shook his head, then walked over to the hallway leading to where the changing rooms were, reached out and flicked the switch next to the opening, turning the lights in the main gym off. After a few seconds pause he went back across the floor to the large double doors that led outside, checked the room once again then pushed the doors open and stepped out.

Since Kamiya had the key to the side door where the student went out, and the man trusted her enough to lock that door like she did every time, Hiko left her to that and pulled his key ring out of his pocket. Selecting the right key, there were only half a dozen or so, he lifted it to one of the locks and slid it inside.

"Hello Uncle."

The man started violently and turned quickly to see a red-headed teenager standing a few feet away on the sidewalk.

"K-Kenshin? How-?"

His nephew smiled mischieviously, "I snuck out of the house." The violet eyes slid off to the side to study the gym curiously, "you might have to change the front lock," he added as if they were discussing the weather.

Hiko blinked at him, still puzzling over how the teen had been able to sneak up on him without the man realizing it, no one had ever…

"You broke out of the house?" he repeated dumbly.

"Mmm." Kenshin turned partially sideways to observe the rest of the school grounds. "So this is where you teach."

The man straightened and nodded, following the boys gaze. "Yes. It's a nice school, I like it."

"Mmm." The redheads eye caught the dangling key chain and the key still placed in the lock. "You should lock the doors so no one will break in."

Hiko grimaced then turned and put a hand on the key, "like you?" He shot back over his shoulder as he switched the lock.

The teen smirked, "no, I only break _out_."

Silence dawned as the man finished locking the gym doors, tested them, then turned to face his nephew again. When neither of them spoke he started forward and began walking down the path. "Does this have to do with those Oniwaban friends of yours?"

Kenshin began walking next to the man and then stepped into pace with him. At the abrupt comment he turned a startled glance on his uncle, "what?"

Hiko was surprised at the teens reaction, but before he could say something the teen disappeared. As he was wondering where the boy had gone, he heard someone running behind him and turned in time to see a familiar young girl nearing him.

"Hiko-san! Hiko-san!" She stopped a few feet away, gasping for breath, "Hiko-san. Thank goodness I caught up to you!"

"Kamiya." The man greeted surprised. "Why did you come after me?"

The girl smiled at him, then straightened and looked off to the side, not meeting his eyes. "Well, um… I've been having trouble with the kata we're practicing-"

"I noticed."

Kamiya scowled darkly, "thanks." She sighed and hung her head, "well I was wondering that since I'm having a hard time, if you would mind helping me out of class, just for a little practice."

Hiko looked uncertain for a moment before he replied, "very well. Can you meet me here tomorrow morning at 11?"

"Tomorrow's Saturday."

"Yes."

The girl sighed loudly, looking defeated. "Fine, I'll meet you at 11, in the parking lot." Her older companion nodded. "Se you tomorrow then!" She called as she ran back down the sidewalk, now grinning happily.

He shook his head, "that girl has the most odd, violent mood swings." With that comment the man began walking again.

"Who was that girl?"

Hiko started and turned to the side, stopping. "Why do you keep sneaking up on me?" he demanded angrily.

The teen smirked, "because it's amusing." He turned to where Kamiya had went to, "so who was she?"

"Kaoru Kamiya, school sophomore. She's in the kendo club." The man rattled off the facts.

"Hmm."

Hiko waited for the redhead to speak again, but when he didn't he turned forward again and resumed walking towards the parking lot.

His nephew followed him after a moment's pause, silently falling into step beside the older man. They walked in silence to the lot until Kenshin stopped just a few steps away on the sidewalk, staring at the lone car standing on the cement.

The man continued to the vehicle, not noticing that the teen wasn't with him until he was unlocking the car, jamming the key into the lock and turning it side to side. When he did realize the man turned and called over his shoulder, "what's wrong baka?" The car clickedand Hiko pulled on the door handle, causing the door to swing open- nearly hitting the man in the stomach. "Get in, boy."

But the redhead shook his head and backed away a few steps, looking scared. "No, no I think I'll walk home."

"I said _get in,_" the man demanded, scowling as he stood with the car door open behind him.

Some emotion flickered in the boys eyes, but before Hiko could classify it, it was gone. His face showed no hint of what he was feeling, and neither did his body language or his ki. But, if he had to guess the man would say it had been fear, or haunting memories. "The car won't _hurt_ you boy, just get in and we can go home."

The teen shook his head.

When neither of them spoke again, Hiko stepped forward menacingly finally getting irritated. "Nothing's going to happen to you baka…"

"No," Kenshin whispered under his breath, lowering his head. "I, I'll walk home," then he stepped back and turned away.

"Get back here baka!" The man shouted at his back, then when the teen continued to walk away he strode quickly after the boy.

But his nephew still didn't respond, so Hiko caught up with him and grabbed the teens arm, forcefully stopping him. They stood that way for several minutes, Hiko glaring at Kenshins back and tightly gripping his arm while the teen stood in front of him, his head down with the held arm pulled behind him. As the relatives froze, the shadows lengthened around them and everything grew still and quiet around them.

"Tell me what's wrong boy," Hiko instructed softly, loosening his grip on the arm.

The redhead stiffened, and then relaxed slightly. A few minutes later he sighed and hung his head. "I, I just don't want to ride in the car."

"Why?"

Kenshin shook his head slightly, "I just don't."

Hiko groaned quietly, and pulled gently on the arm. "I'm not letting you walk home boy so you might as well tell me."

"Just because!"

The man frowned at the sudden outburst, so he had gotten the teen angry now. "Fine. If you can't answer me, then you'll have to ride home with me." He turned on his heel and began forcefully dragging the boy back to the parking lot. Suprisingly Kenshin didn't fight him again and Hiko was able to open the door and push the teen into the seat before closing the door, circling the car and getting in in the drivers seat.

He glanced once at his nephew before starting the car and driving across and out of the parking lot. The teens face was white and scared, his eyes fixed on the windshield looking withdrawn. 'He'll never be the Kenshin we used to know, there's just too many differences now.'

* * *

The next morning the redhead woke up early and sleepily made his way out of his room, through the hall and into the living room before he collapsed onto the couch. He reached out, groped for the remote and turned the television on before laying back down to watch cartoons and cooking shows for the rest of the morning.

An hour or so later Hiko started getting ready to pick up Kamiya. He pulled on his coat, grabbed the car keys and said a quick, hasty goodbye to Kenshin before locking the door and going to the car.

When the man and Kamiya returned, Hiko hung up his coat, tossed the keys onto the table while saying, "I am going to the bathroom, the dojo's downstairs. My nephews asleep on the couch, so try to be quiet." He disappeared away into the hall, and his voice drifted back to her, "I'll meet you in a few minutes."

The girl grumbled something under her breath about disrespectful and inhospitable men before she took off her coat, folded it and put it on the table. She walked in a few steps further, examining her surroundings. It was a nice house, a good size for a small family.

A soft rustling noise brought her out of her thoughts, and Kamiya turned towards its source. She saw a figure lying on the couch, covered with a blanket and curled slightly up on the cushions. The television was on so whoever it was had been watching the Saturday morning shows.

"Kamiya!"

She started again and looked in the direction of the hall, "I'm coming, I'm coming," the girl muttered quietly before started walking off in that direction. As she went around the couch Kamiya was given a better view of the person laying there, or more specifically a view of their bright red hair peeking out from under the blanket. The face was mostly hidden from her view by the pillow and the position the person was lying in.

'So that's Hiko-san's nephew," Kamiya thought to herself smiling, then she turned and walked over and into the hall, off to spar with Hiko.

* * *

Well, thats it for this chapter. Next time we shall return to the future... or the present (whatever way you want to look at it)

Like I said, I just got back from Spring Break in California and am currently worshipping the tan I got. Its weird, I know, but I live in Minnesota so I never get a tan! Also, I'm sorry but I wasn't able to write very much, so I'll try to make up for it in my remaining time off.

For those who are keeping up to date with my life (I doubt anyone is) the Senior Paper is DONE and TURNED IN and the yearbook is also DONE! Now I'll be able to write more so there will be (hopefully) more updates.

Thanks to my reviewers:

CrystalMind, Chisu-chan, sestrilla, Neverforget99, Micki G, Michika-chan, Draconic Ban-Sidhe, Yanikei, enchantedsleeper, avidgokufan

**Christina**: Thanks, but I'm confused what you mean by 'past and future charecters.' Oh, Aoshi and Misao? They're Kaoru's friends, and now Kenshins friends in high school. Misao doesn't recognize him but Aoshi (as you know) does. Wow, I honestly hadn't noticed that. Well, I suppose that it can take time in the future as well. It's modern day so none of the meji era differences confine it. If your still confused I'd be happy to explain it further.

I just realized this (slow I know) but we're up to **127 REVIEWS!** Thank you to anyone who has ever reviewed!!!! You all make me so so so happy!

**If I didn't respond to your review or if there is something you are confused about please don't hesitate to contact me (email or PM) and I will answer your questions as best I can!**

O.o I almost forgot to thank Ash-chan! (bows) I'm so sorry!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats all I can think of for now... **if there's anything you can think of please contact me!**

ja ne,

miji-chan


	18. Chapter 18

Kendo Club

Ch 18

Sorry its been so long everyone! I've been really really busy...with AP and graduating high school (ALLELUIA!) and getting read for college... yes, I have excuses, legitamite ones as well.

Anyway...new chapter...ENJOY!

* * *

Back in the present day… 

The day after Kaoru had stayed up far too late reading Kenshin's journal wasn't turning out very well. She had woken up late for school (slept through her alarm), been shouted at by Hiko (because he liked to shout), and harassed by Yahiko (because he was a brat). After a top-speed drive to school, during which Hiko had kept lecturing her, she raced upstairs, through the halls, and almost fell into her first class.

"Kaoru Kamiya, you tardy!"

And now she was tardy. She glanced up wearily to see Miss Lindstrom glaring at her from the wooden desk at the front of the room. Her expression didn't bode all that well for Kaoru's immediate future.

"Sorry, I didn't hear my alarm, and my ride was late, so-"

Miss Lindstrom cleared her throat and raised her hand. "Quiet. You go to desk."

Kaoru rolled her eyes internally and straightened. "Sure, sorry." She walked through the maze of chairs, stepping over backpacks, textbooks, hats and other abandoned belongings until she found her desk and sat down with a sigh. Then someone pointedly poked her in the side.

"Hey Kaoru!"

"What, Misao?" she asked tiredly, turning to look at her friend who was looking back with bright eyes and a happy-go-lucky grin, and was far too cheerful for this time of morning.

"Aw, don't be like that!" When she failed to get a response from her black-haired friend, Misao sighed. "What's wrong? Why're you late?"

Kaoru groaned and crossed her arms on her desk to use as a pillow. With her head comfortably settled, she spoke. "Kenshin, I guess. But it's mostly Hiko's fault."

"I'm not surprised." The young ninjitsu artist smiled. "everyone seems to get in trouble because of him." At a strong glare from her friend, Misao quickly amended, "Hiko! Not Kenshin. Kenshin's too sweet-natured for that."

"Kaoru, Misao!" Miss Lindstrom's voice cut through the quiet chatter, directed at the two being the least disruptive. "You two talk too much, be quiet!"

"Yes, Miss Lindstrom," the two droned together, barely batting an eyelash.

Satisfied with the newfound silence, the teacher turned back to the lesson she was scrawling on the board. Misao flicked her long braid over her shoulder and turned back to Kaoru. "She's so annoying."

"She very strict," Kaoru mimicked. "She very loud and annoyed!"

The ninja giggled quietly behind her hand, "Kaoru!"

They were quiet for a while, half listening to the important parts of the lesson. Every so often their eyes met, and they'd quickly break eye contact again, giggling at the memory of Kaoru's mocking. After becoming bored with pretending to take notes, Misao swiveled in her seat to face Kaoru again. "So, what's wrong with Kenshin?" she asked, barely bothering to keep her voice down.

Kaoru glanced over. "He-" she began to say, but cut herself off, considering what she had read in his journal the night before. Would Kenshin want all of his friends to know about his past as a hitokiri? Or would he rather they simply knew of him as Kenshin, unaware of the secrets he hid?

"He's... sick," she finally half-lied. "I told him to stay home, and Hiko's there to glare over him until he gets better."

Misao smiled knowingly. "You like him!" Her smile only grew wider at whatever expression appeared on Kaoru's face. "Kaoru's in love with Ken-shin!" she sang, thankfully in a quiet tone.

"I am not!" Kaoru denied hotly, and turned away angrily.

"Uh-huh..." Misao drawled, drawing it out as long as she could. She didn't believe a word her friend was saying.

Only a few minutes later, Kaoru was almost asleep while Misao was simply bored out of her brain, chin resting on her hand while a pencil twirled between her fingers. They spent the rest of the period like that, until the bell rang and students ran out the door, ignoring the homework Miss Lindstrom shouted at them.

When they got into the hall, Misao began interrogating Kaoru. "Come on, Kaoru, it's so obvious you like him!" she declared, hugging her books to her chest while her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Kenshin and Kaoru..."

Her friend glared and denied everything. "I do _not_ like him, Misao. And even if I did, it wouldn't be obvious!" She took a deep breath and kept going. "And don't act like you know what happened between us, you don't! What's happening is _dangerous_, especially for him, and it doesn't involve us as, well, us. He just happens to trust me. That's all."

Misao stared at Kaoru as if she were an alien. "Geez, Kaoru, you don't have to get so defensive about it. I just said it 'cause I thought it was true. Sorry for making assumptions." She spun on her heel and walked down the hall quickly, leaving Kaoru to walk on her own.

The lonely girl sighed and lowered her head. She hadn't meant to push Misao away so cruelly, but she was too questioning for her own good. She didn't want the girl tangled up in Kenshin's mess too, it wouldn't be safe for her. She didn't want to see Misao hurt.

Speaking of which, she shouldn't be involved either. Kaoru herself was too curious for her own good. She had pried into Kenshin's past, read his journal and found out about Kenshin's other self. Hitokiri Battousai.

Even that wouldn't be too bad, if she hadn't also found out about Katsura, about Aoshi's shadow job (and Misao, for that matter), about Saito and his deadliness, and about Soujiro and Shishio... about everything and everyone that a nice girl like her had no business knowing about.

Still, she had done what she had meant to do. She had found out the truth behind Kenshin's mask. But... she hadn't wanted to find out second-hand, and she hadn't wanted to find that Kenshin was as twisted, if not more so, than anybody else.

Kaoru sighed and walked faster, not wanting to be late to her next class.

She got to her English class just as the last bell rang. As she walked to her desk, the teacher's eyes followed her, watching her every move with an annoyed frown. Usually she and Misao broke the rules of sitting at an assigned desk, but Misao was ignoring her, so Kaoru sat in her originally assigned seat for the first time since the beginning of the semester.

A few minutes into the class, Kaoru became restless. For the rest of the period, she kept glancing out of the corner of her eye at Misao. Misao was pointedly watching the teacher, intent on the overheads she was showing to the class.

She suffered through in silence, and the teachers seemed to pity her enough to not call on her for any answers. Math was the same. None of her friends were in the class, so she usually doodled or slept through it. The bell rang, and Kaoru ran out of the room, only stopping at her locker to toss her books in before rushing to lunch.

She sat at the table where she and her friends always sat. It was only a few seconds before Misao arrived, though, and she sat across from Kaoru. "Hi, Misao," Kaoru said, trying to make conversation.

Misao simply glanced at Kaoru and looked away, back to her lunch. Kaoru took to glaring at her friend constantly as they ate. A few minutes into the awkward silence, Sano and Megumi arrived and sat next to each other, on Misao's left. They kept talking to each other until they noticed the lack of others talking. A glance between them confirmed that something was wrong between Kaoru and Misao.

Sano was the first to speak. "You two, what's up? Usually you wouldn't stop talking if the world was about to end.

"Try some tact some time soon, Sano," Megumi sighed, thwacking him with a textbook she had handy.

"Aw, Gumi!"

Kaoru stuffed the remainder of her taco into her mouth. "Nothin'," she mumbled around it, not making eye contact with any of the three- not that Misao would have looked at her for the world right now.

"Oh yes, nothing," Misao snickered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She then stage-whispered to Megumi and Sanosuke. "As long as you don't ask about Kenshin Himura."

Kaoru jumped to her feet and slammed a hand on the table. "Will you please just shut up about that, Misao! I am not in _love_ with him! And it doesn't matter if you believe me or not, because I know I'm not and that should be enough!"

Everyone stared at her until Misao started snickering again while Sano and Megumi looked slightly stunned at her outburst. "You know, Kaoru, nobody said that," the fox said slowly. "You just jumped to that conclusion."

"Did not!" Kaoru automatically replied, glaring.

Sano decided to ignore the fight brewing and began inhaling tacos. Megumi arched an eyebrow at Kaoru coolly.

Kaoru growled under her breath and pointed angrily at Misao. "She's just upset because her _Aoshi-sama_ isn't here for her to worship the ground he walks on, and so she's been bugging me about Kenshin all day! Well, when she's been talking to me."

Misao hiccuped and tried to drink all her milk at once, avoiding a response.

"See?"

Megumi sighed and shook her head. "I give up."

Megumi and Sano were the only ones talking for the rest of lunch, since Kaoru and Misao refused to talk to each other. Just when they were all about to be driven crazy with the tension in the air, the bell rang for the last class of the day. Kaoru had to get her sketchbook out of her locker, so she was a little behind the rest of the students. The halls were almost empty when Saito and Aoshi appeared and cornered her. Before she could ask what they were doing, the two of them had grabbed her by the arms, and were dragging her into the nearest empty classroom.

"Hey! What are-" By the time she had said that, she was inside the room, with Aoshi blocking the only door.

"Where is Himura? Why is he not at school today?" The 'teacher' walked up to her, and leaned over her threateningly.

"Kenshin-!" she snapped, before remembering that it wasn't wise to blab the redhead's secrets to anyone who asked. But Saito already knew about him, and the beginning of the teen's relapse into a hitokiri... "He's at the hospital, still. But it's been too long. He, he should have left by now.

Aoshi, who had by now decided Kaoru wasn't going to run for the door, come to stand next to Saito. She felt a little claustrophobic, trapped between the two men. "What happened to Himura?" he demanded brusquely.

She frowned. "It's a long story. Basically, Katsura found Kenshin again, and gave him some medicine or something that's turning Kenshin back into Hitokiri Battousai. He had a fit or something a few nights later, so we took him to the hospital. He's still there, but I think he's getting better." She shrugged helplessly. "That's all I know."

Saito snorted at the unintentional meaning behind her words. "That's not what I meant!" Kaoru yelled, and glared at the wolf, her nails digging into her palms. But he just smirked and nodded, agreeing in a condescending way.

Aoshi glanced at the wolf before asking, "How do you know Himura was Hitokiri Battousai?"

"I read his journal. While he was in the hospital." At a look from Saito, she added, "He told me to!" indignantly.

"I see," Aoshi replied, then glanced over at Saito.

The wolf blinked, "you read his journal without asking him?" He said it in a way that made it sound like a crime.

"He told me to!"

Aoshi and Saito stared at her.

"Himura... _let_ you read his diary?"

"Yes."

The two stared at her some more, then shared a significant look.

"Why?"

The girl blinked, "because he wanted me to?" She sighed, "Actually, I kind of pressured him into letting me. I figured something was wrong, with everything that was going on, so I told him to tell me what was happening, and finally he just said to read his diary. That's how I know about things now." She sighed again. "It's not like anybody tells me these things."

"What do you know, exactly?" Saito questioned, surprised by both her own actions, and Himura's. He had thought the idiot was more protective about his past then the girl was claiming he was. And the teen had never let anyone know about the diary he kept, or let anyone get as close to him as Kaoru was.

Kaoru frowned, "nearly everything, or everything, I think. At least, I read about his childhood, and how his parents died early in his life so Hiko took him in. He was the one who taught Kenshin to use a sword. And this whole 'Battousai,'" she made air quotes, "thing wouldn't have happened if the two of them hadn't had an argument which caused Kenshin to run away, and Katsura to pick him up. If it didn't happen, then we, or I, wouldn't be in this situation."

When the girl looked up to find the others staring at her, she realized that she had probably just said something she shouldn't have.

"I didn't know that," Aoshi commented, and Saito shook his head.

"Oops," Kaoru whispered and covered her mouth with her hands. "Um, don't tell Kenshin I told you that, please."

Saito smirked, but Aoshi sighed and said quietly, "if you keep baiting her Hajime, we'll never learn anything." He nodded to Kaoru, "go on."

But she glared at both of them, "why do you two want to know about this? Why do you care?"

"It will be dangerous if an assassin appears in the city again. You're young, but you must still remember the terror that ran through the city during the reign of the assassain Battousai, and the rest of Katsura's crowd. Everyone was afraid to go out at night, and almost everyone carried some kind of weapon for self-defense. No one thought they were safe, everyone was scared that their family were going to be attacked next." Saito rambled off the facts, just like the police officer he was.

And then Aoshi joined in, "if we allow Himura to become an assassin once again, the city will fall back into such a state. Are you willing to let that happen?"

Kaoru squeaked with surprise, "what! Why is this my fault all of a sudden? Why is it my decision to make?"

"Because he trusted you enough to tell you about his past. Himura is very secretive, as you know, but, for some reason, he decided to tell you. I respect that decision, I don't know why, but you have to be sure to keep all of this a secret. No one can know."

"And since you are the only person he completely trusts, most likely you are the only one who can save him. From himself, and from what he's done," the teen ninja declared, looking the girl in the eyes.

She stared at them, looking back and forth between them, "what do you mean? What on earth are you saying?"

The wolf sighed, was the girl really this think? "We mean, Kamiya, that if anything goes wrong, we will have to depend on you to help bring him back to reality, and to help him return to his true self."

"What are you-"

Aoshi sighed, "it might happen Kaoru, you must be ready for it. I know you've read about what he was like back then, but, there is no way to prepare yourself for how he acts as an hitokiri, it's very different."

"Like he wrote you acted?" Kaoru blurted.

Her friend blinked, confused and surprised, "Himura mentioned me in his journal?"

The girl nodded, "yeah, a little. He talked about how you helped him, how you became his friend, and how you helped him on a few of his missions," she glanced up at him, grinning. "As the leader of the Oniwaban."

Aoshi leaned in menacingly towards her, "he told you that?"

"Yes, he wrote it in there. But Misao told me before."

"Really," Saito drawled.

She turned on him, "oh, he didn't forget about you either Saito-san." Kaoru smiled knowingly at him, "the things I could tell."

The wolf glared coldly at her, "you're lying."

"Am I?"

"Yes." He snapped at her, causing Kaoru to glare, but she didn't say what she knew and closed her mouth instead.

"Thank you," Saito acknowledged sarcastically.

Now Aoshi spoke up, "when does Himura leave the hospital?"

She glared at Saito again, then answered Aoshi's question. "Um, today's Friday, so, late tomorrow or early Sunday I would guess. If something else doesn't happen, of course."

Aoshi and Saito exchanged looks again, then turned back to Kaoru.

"Very well, you can go to class now. Just be sure to tell us when he gets home, and if anything happens," Saito informed her, then patted her on the head, despite her obvious dislike.

"What are you two, his shadow guardians? You're sure protective of him." Kaoru shuffled her feet nervously, "and you know, Sensei, that if I'm going to class I need a pass."

The teacher sneered at her. "I'm sorry Kamiya, but I don't happen to have any with me."

"Then write an excuse on a piece of paper!" She snapped annoyed, causing Saito to give her a holier-than-thou look, before he walked over to the teachers desk on the other side of the room, tore off a post-it note and began writing on it.

At the same time, Kaoru turned to Aoshi and informed him, smiling, "Misao's been worried about you all day. She couldn't stop talking about how she missed her "Aoshi-sama."

The teen nodded. "Please don't tell her you saw me. I'll call her tonight to make up for my absence."

Just then Saito returned, and held out a piece of paper to Kaoru, covered with messy, smushed handwriting. The girl hesitantly took it from him and scanned the message, once in a while glancing up at the man, frowning. After finishing, Kaoru stuffed it into her jean pocket, and nodded to Saito and then Aoshi, before exiting the classroom in a rush.

After she was gone, the teacher turned to the teenager. "Are you fully sure we can trust her?" he asked doubtfully.

"Himura does, and so can we," Aoshi said, in his typically stoic fashion.

* * *

When class ended, Kaoru rushed to her locker, hoping to catch her friends before they left. Luckily, all of their lockers were next to each other, and most of the others weren't as fast getting there as she was. A few minutes after she arrived, Sano and Megumi came striding up, followed by the sulking Misao. 

Megumi was the first to notice the tanuki moving in quick mode, and commented on it. "My, Kaoru, where are you in such a hurry to get off to?" She smirked. "Meeting your secret lover behind the gym?"

"No." Kaoru replied heatedly, "I want to get home quickly to see if Kenshin's okay. He stayed home sick from school today," she half-lied, he _was_ sick and she _was_ worried about him, so it wasn't a _complete_ lie.

"So, you're worried?" Misao asked, saying her first words to her friend since their argument during their first lesson.

At that Sano grinned, "that's kinda sweet Jou-chan, 'specially for you."

"He's just a friend okay? If it was any of you in the same situation, I would do the same." Kaoru corrected, then when none of them spoke, she grabbed her books from inside her locker, slammed it shut, and while shouting goodbye, she nearly ran down the hall in order to meet Hiko on time.

Even though the man repeatedly commented that he wasn't worried about his nephew, Hiko had cancelled that night's Kendo practice, and had warned that the practices next week might be canceled as well.

Kaoru smiled, so even Hiko had a soft side, especially, it seemed, for his nephew. Her smile dimmed, but maybe he felt that way because he knew he was partially responsible for what had happened to Kenshin the first time, and now wanted to prevent it from happening again.

As she rushed through the front doors, a horn suddenly sounded, and the girl looked down to see Hiko's car parked down at the bottom of the steps. Grinning, she clutched her books to her chest as she ran down the steps to the car.

While she opened the door and threw her things inside, the man grumbled, "took you long enough. Next time when I say three, I _mean_ three."

"Sorry," Kaoru apologized as she got intothe car, and buckled her seat belt.  
"I tried to hurry, but everyone gathered at our lockers and kept talking to me."

Hiko stared the car, "that's one of the worst excuses I've heard Kamiya. Try a better one next time," he scolded, then pulled away from the curb and began rocketing down the street.

She frowned. "Great, first Misao getting angry at me, then Saito and Aoshi interrogating me, now you calling me a liar. This has been a great day."

The man, half-listening, commented, "what did they want to know?"

"About Kenshin, where he was, what was happening, and why I knew as much as I did."

He frowned, "what is _that _supposed to mean?"

"When we were at the hospital last night, I was worried about Kenshin, so I," she sighed, was she going to have to tell everyone this, "I practically ordered him to tell me what was going on…and he told me to read his journal, and I did later that night, so now, I pretty much understand what's happening with, and around, Kenshin. And they wanted to know why."

Hiko smirked, "the kid keeps a journal? How girlish!" He turned a corner, making the car swerve and tires squeal, "sounds like he's getting in touch with his feminine side."

The girl sighed and shook her head; he had the oddest sense of humor.

For a few minutes, it was quiet in the car, except for the sound coming in from the open window. Suddenly Hiko handed his cellular to Kaoru, telling her, "call the home voicemail and see if there are any messages."

Obediently she flipped open the phone, found the number under "voicemail" and called it. The security code was programmed in, so it went straight to messages.

There was only one recorded on it, dated less then an hour ago, from Yahiko. After the message had finished playing, Kaoru deleted it and closed the phone.

"Well?" The man asked impatiently.

"There was one from Yahiko, saying that he's staying at his friend Yutaro's house the whole weekend." She slapped the phone into his outstretched palm. "Brat didn't even _ask_ me."

As they pulled into the hospital parking lot, Hiko commented quietly, "you must really care about your brother; you're very protective of him."

Kaoru sighed and leaned back against her seat, "I guess, it's just… after our parents died... We're all each other really has."

The man turned off the car, unbuckled his seat belt and climbed out of the car, while his female companion dully did the same, and then followed him into the hospital.

Before she hadn't thought about her actions towards her brother, she had just done what she thought was right, and necessary. But now, she supposed that even though they fought a lot, they still cared for each other.

Suddenly the girl felt weight on her shoulder, and she looked up to see Hiko's hand there. "What?"

He scowled at her, "there's no use brooding Kamiya. Keep your mind focused on the present, and what you're doing."

"Yes, Hiko-san," she muttered obediently, ignoring some, if not all, of his advice.

The man removed his hand, muttered something under his breath, and resumed walking.

Kaoru glanced around her as they moved, speed-walking down empty white hallways on their way towards Kenshin's room. The night before she had been so worried about her friend that she hadn't taken any notice of where she was, or what it was like. But then, she hadn't known what was really happening, and had thought that he was on the edge of dying.

"Hiko-san," the girl asked softly, causing the man to turn in mid-stride.

He frowned, annoyed, "don't call me Hiko-san, just Hiko."

"Fine. But, I wanted to ask you… what do you think will happen with Kenshin? Do you think, do you think he'll survive this?"

The man rolled his eyes and slowed his pace slightly. "I don't know why I have to repeat myself…he'll be fine. The kid will probably have a few scars, and mentally who knows, but in the end he'll be alright." Hiko glanced over at her, "have a little more faith Kamiya, he does in you."

Kaoru frowned, not meeting his eyes, and kept her head down as they continued to walk. She _did_ have faith in Kenshin, but, everything had happened so fast. One day he was fine, smiling at her, laughing with her. Then, just in one night, he had shown up late, hesitantly not looking at them, and Hiko had ordered her and Yahiko away. And the next time she saw him, he had seemed distant…then a few minutes into their conversation he had had some kind of fit, and fell unconscious. Whatever it had been, it was severe enough for him to go to the hospital.

And now…

The two of them stopped in front of the door to Kenshin's room, and Hiko glanced at her warningly, before putting his hand on the doorknob.

But suddenly the door slammed open, nearly hitting him.

All of them looked at each other, the female doctor seeming more startled then they were. "Can, can I help you?"

Hiko blinked at her, then stated, "we're here to see Kenshin," and pointed towards the door. The hastily-scrawled label said 'Himura Kenshin'.

The doctor raised her eyebrows, glanced at them, and then to the door. "You can't. Only family is allowed."

"We _are_ family. I'm his guardian, and the boy's uncle, while she," he vaguely waved his hand in Kaoru's direction, "is his cousin."

Kenshin's supposed cousin stared at the man's back, and opened her mouth to deny what he said. She didn't look anything like Kenshin! Neither did he, for that matter. But, he must have noticed her annoyance, because he flapped his hand at her behind his back, quieting her.

Still, the woman doctor didn't look convinced. "Even though that might be," she paused to squint suspiciously at him, "I still can't allow you inside."

"What's your excuse now?"

'Of course he manages to annoy Kenshin's doctor,' Kaoru thought, 'she probably won't let us in _at all_ now.'

The doctor glared at Hiko, thoroughly irritated. "Himura needs rest. He is still recovering, and should not be disturbed."

He glared right back at her, and replied shortly, "I don't care. He's obviously fine, and I'm going to see him no matter what you say." With that response, the man pushed past the doctor, opening the door on his way. Hiko smirked at her, and waved for Kaoru to enter.

She looked doubtfully at him, as she walked up next to the man. Before the girl stepped inside, she bobbed her head apologetically at the doctor, and then went in, glared at the man and nearly slammed the door behind her.

On the other side, Hiko and the doctor continued to glare at each other for a few minutes, before they turned their backs.

Stubborn, indeed.

Inside, Kaoru locked the door and walked over to the bed to watch Kenshin. By the way he hadn't responded when she came in, she guessed he was asleep, sound asleep, so she listened to the steady beeping of the monitors and watched as his chest raised and lowered with each breath.

It was such a normal sight that it calmed her, and she smiled as she moved to the side of the bed, pulled up a chair and sat down as she observed her friend, or boyfriend, or whatever he was.

He was a wonderful person, even if he was slightly secretive and had had a bad life, he was still sweet. So, why did so much change when he became the hitokiri? What had made his personality change so drastically from the Kenshin she knew now, to how people described him when he was the Battousai?

He had said in his journal that it was after Katsura had given him the medicine that he had begun to forget, and when his personality changed.

But could medicine make such a difference?

Thoughtfully she went over the conversation she had had with Saito and Aoshi. They both had said that if the situation became dire, she would have to bring Kenshin back, and help him remember. Although Kaoru cared for, and maybe even loved him (no matter what she said to Misao), she wasn't certain if she wanted things to become so grave that she had to resort to doing that. What if she failed, or if he refused to listen to reason?

The girl shook her head, trying to forget the negative thoughts. That wouldn't happen. Kenshin would be fine. Everything would be fine.

She heard a rustle from in front of her, and looked up to see that the boy had rolled over and was now facing her.

Kaoru smiled and leaned closer to him. She reached forward to brush some hair away from his face, but it fell back, causing the boy to wrinkle his nose and press his face into the pillow. She mischievously lifted the strands of hair and began lightly brushing it across his cheeks and nose. He sleepily tried to wave it away, but missed.

Finally, the boy blearily opened his eyes, and rubbed his cheeks and nose before looking up at her from around the pillow with sleepy violet eyes.

Kaoru smiled at him and greeted, "morning, sunshine," as she removed her hand and placed it on her lap.

"Morning," he greeted gruffly.

The girl laughed, "Actually its afternoon. School got out an hour ago."

Kenshin blinked at her, ignoring the correction as he wondered why this girl had come to see him, and why she was so cheerful.

"… I was worried about you Kenshin, and so is everyone else. We really care, you know. That's why I came straight here after school."

Well that answered his question.

But why could he not remember her name, or remember how they knew each other?

She was a friend, he knew that much, and also that they knew, and cared for each other.

Although for the life of him, he couldn't put a name to her face.

"Kenshin?" He heard her ask, and looked up to see the girl staring worriedly down at him.

The redhead smiled reassuringly, but avoided her eyes, hoping she hadn't realized that he didn't address her by her name.

"Are you alright? You look strange." She asked, and then he felt a light pressure on his forehead.

"I'm fine."

He saw her frown, but she left it at that, obviously putting his shortness down for having been woken up so abruptly.

When she didn't speak again, Kenshin returned to the problem of her name. The boy knew that he had known it earlier, but for some reason it was eluding him.

How had he forgotten her name when he knew she was so important to him?

For some reason he was able to remember the names of everyone else he knew; Hiko, Ishi, Saito, Aoshi, Katsura-san, but her name was the one he didn't know.

Kenshin quickly tuned into her one-sided conversation to only realize that she was talking about school, and some people named Sano, Megumi and Misao.

Since she wasn't paying attention to him, the teen returned to his thoughts.

He remembered that hers was a short name, one that began with a "k" and was two syllables…

Kathy, Kate, Kaorin, Kasumi…. Kaoru…

Kaoru?

The redhead opened his eyes and asked quietly, "Kaoru?"

To his delight, she smiled at him, replying, "Yes?"

Kenshin shook his head, giving her a false smile, "nothing, just…thanks for coming."

"No problem Kenshin. That's what friends do, we care for each other."

He tried to smile agreeably at her, but could only manage a thin smile. The girl, Kaoru, pulled her chair closer to the side of the bed and gently pulled his hand out from under the pillow, to gently grasp it in hers.

"Actually, Kenshin…"

The redhead looked up at her, worriedly.

… "we need to talk."

* * *

DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN! 

Sorry, I felt that need to add that.

So now, next chapter we shall the discussion between Ken and Kaoru of what she read in his journal, as well as a transition kind of thing to the next part of the story.

Hee hee, it was so fun to write the scene between Aoshi, Saito and Kaoru...can't you just imagine them doing that to the poor girl?

Also, did anyone notice the little hint I gave in the last part? Thats a sign of what is to come!

Okay, I am SO SO SO sorry I didn't update soon, but I have excuses, like I said above, as well as the fact that I gave Ash-chan four chapters at the same time to edit...THANK YOU ASH-CHAN! So updates depend on her. If your getting antsy bug the girl, although I wouldn't recommend it. (Mistakes are all her fault u (jk!))

One very IMPORTANT note: I shall be starting college on tues, well classes, I'm already at college, so updates are forcasted to be short and have long times inbetween, but not yearly..thatd be AWFUL.

Just a warning. But I will try to do the best I can.

Another note, I'm starting a new story called "Perfection," another RK AU (what a suprise) so please read it once I post (once again, Ash-chan's fault for the delay). I would like to know what you think.

I will try to update my other fics as soon as possible, but I'm not sure how soon that will be.

Thank you for your patience.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed for the last chapter, I'm sorry but I can't get to your names at the moment, but you know who you are! THANKS AGAIN!

Please review!

Thats all for now!

ja ne,

mijichan

P.S FIREFLY RULES!


	19. Chapter 19

**Kendo Club**

Ch 19

The Confrontation

* * *

The redhead looked anxiously at the girl, "talk? Talk about what, Kaoru?"

"About your journal," she replied without a trace of her previous smile, "and what you wrote about in there."

He made a confused face at her, hiding the sudden rush of worry and surprise. "I- don't understand. What journal?"

Kaoru sighed at him, "Kenshin, please don't play dumb with me. Be serious. I promise to not judge you until I know everything about your part of the story."

"There's nothing to talk about Kaoru, there's nothing for me to tell."

She sighed heavily and impatiently brushed her hair away from her face, "Kenshin, stop pretending. It's getting old, and I won't believe you." At any other time she could put up with the redhead and his goofy act, but after everything that had happened, after everything she had found out about her friend, she couldn't take it anymore.

Suddenly the girl paused thoughtfully, was it really an act? In his journal the teen had commented that whatever 'medicine' Katsura had given him had caused him to become the infamous hitokiri, but at the same time, in addition to changing his personality, it had also caused him to forget things, especially his past that was worth remembering, the happy times.

"Kenshin," the girl began slowly, holding back her growing anger, "do you… do you remember who I am?"

The boy blinked at her confused, "of course I do Kaoru. Why wouldn't I?" But she wasn't a simpleton; she had seen the flicker of guilt in his eyes before he had managed to hide it with his current perplexed expression. Which meant, for some period of time, he _had_ forgotten.

She sighed softly and leaned over the bed, "You did forget, but…I don't blame you for that. I know," Kaoru paused, trying her best to phrase how she felt, "it, it wasn't your fault. But of course you're too nice of a person to admit such a thing."

Kenshin once again blinked at her, puzzling over in his mind how she could think that _he_, of all people, could be _nice_. As well as how all that was happening, and in which she was now included, was _not_ his fault.

"But, Kaoru…"

The girl rapidly shook her head, "No Kenshin, I _refuse_ to let you blame yourself for what's happened. You seem to be doing that far too much."

He blinked again, trying to gather his thoughts. But he was the one whose reckless actions had gotten her included in all of this. And 'this' had all started with the two of them somehow becoming friends, even though he had done everything possible to keep all of the people around him away. Somehow, she'd seen the _good_ in him instead of all of the bad things he had done- and then gradually pulled him into her normal life, while he brought his own horrible past.

"Kenshin, I care about you. I don't want to see you hurting anymore. Now that I know the truth about you, and about your past- I want to be even surer that you don't fall into that again." Kaoru took a deep breath and then raised her head to look him fully in the eyes. "And I will do _anything_ to achieve that goal."

Now the red-haired boy stared amazed at her, "but, Kaoru… I, I can't put you in danger like that. I know you've read the journal but, you couldn't possibly understand the real danger you'll be in if you continue to include yourself in my troubles." He stared imploringly at her, "please don't that to yourself."

"I don't care!" The girl shouted at him, her fists clenching tightly on the bed, "I already know there will be danger. It's not like enough people haven't told me about it!" She paused, "it's not true that I'm not scared of the danger, I am- but I'm concerned about you. I-I don't want you to get hurt."

He sighed, "Kaoru-san. Please, you need to worry more about yourself- I'll be fine."

Kaoru gave him a fierce look, "I worry plenty about myself Kenshin, I'm not concerned about _me_, I'm worried about you…someone needs to be, especially since you don't seem to ever."

A few minutes of silence went by; the only sound in the room being the constant sound of the monitor the redhead was hooked up to. The lapse in conversation gave the girl a chance to look carefully at her friend for the first time since she had entered. His hair was as intensely red as before, but the vibrancy that it had seemed to hold was gone now. What worried her most was how pale he looked, the lightness of his skin throwing the intensity of his eyes and darkness of the cross-scar into sharp relief. It made him look like a ghost of the boy she knew, or thought she knew.

His eyes also seemed to be different now. Before now he had always seemed to look at her in a certain way; it was just recently she realized he had been hiding most of his thoughts and emotions from her. The charming smile he always used on her was not a way to show happiness, but instead it was to distract her from seeing that he was hiding himself from her- that he wasn't letting her see the more unpleasant parts of himself that he desperately kept hidden. She found it sad that it was only now that she understood things about Kenshin that she should have known all along. He had stopped her from being aware of just how complicated of a person he truly was, of how much he hid behind the mask that he seemed to always wear. It was only the journal that had made her aware of all these things, and even though he hadn't seemed to really want her to read his memories, he had indeed let her in the end.

"Don't worry Kaoru; I am fine- no matter what you think." The teen turned away from her steady gaze, not being able to bear how deeply her eyes seemed to be boring into him. "I, never wanted you to be a part of this affair between Katsura and me. You shouldn't have to witness what I'm afraid will happen soon, you should never have learned any of these things in the first place."

The girls' eyes turned from studious to angry in little less than a second, followed by her unclenching and clenching her fists once more. _"Kenshin Shinta Himura, don't you dare pull that crap on me again! No matter what you say or tell me, I am not going to back out from helping you! I am your friend no matter what, and friends do not leave each other to die, or to any fate that we ourselves can't stop!"_

At her words Kenshin seemed to actually flinch and as she watched, her anger still fresh, his eyes shuttered mostly- diminishing the few amber specks that danced within the violet. "Kaoru," he said softly, his voice little more than a whisper as he slowly moved a little away from her. "I'm sorry that I made you angry."

Kaoru made a noise that showed just how little she believed that statement.

"You don't believe me," a soft laugh accompanied his statement. "I can see why you would feel that way. But, I do appreciate you saying that we are friends- it means a lot to me. Thank you."

The black haired girl fidgeted impatiently as her friend didn't say any more, only repeating his earlier words, but instead quickly quieted. She waited for a few minutes, giving him time so that he could talk, of course only if he wanted. When he didn't, Kaoru erupted at him, "That's all you're going to say, not anything else? Just that you're _glad_ that we are friends and that you can _see_ why I think what I do? Kenshin I don't think you understand how I feel about this arrangement, about what is happening right now between you and Katsura. You don't need to tell me that what is going on is extremely dangerous, I understand that- but yet, I want to stay with you. No matter how dangerous any of this gets, I still want to stay by your side and help to protect you."

Her frown and glare slowly faded into a smile that made her eyes shine brightly with emotion. "You don't have to worry about me, I can protect myself. I just want to help you feel better, so we can get you out of this hospital and back home." The girl carefully extended her arm so that her hand laid lightly on the edge of the bed. "It's not your fault that you're here; it's because of something that happened a few years ago."

"It might have happened awhile ago, but I was the one who did it. It is my fault that a stupid decision I made back then is now effecting the present." He still continued to refuse to look at her, or even move from his perch on the opposite side of the bed. "And it's also my fault for bringing you into this. If we had never met…"

Kaoru heaved a heavy sigh, "it's true that I might not have been involved in this if we had never become friends. But Kenshin, it's also true that this still might have happened, even if I wasn't a part of it. It's no use thinking about all of these 'what ifs,' anything that could have happened can't anymore. So you might as well just worry about the present, because there's no way to fix the past. It's happened, it's gone. There's nothing you can do."

The boy didn't move. He didn't even give any sign that he had heard her.

Now Kaoru knew what Hiko had meant by Kenshin being stubborn. He wasn't listening to her at all and seemed to be even refusing to see her point. He needed to realize, to needed to be shown to him that he didn't always have to blame himself for everything that happened. Sometimes it _wasn't_ his fault, things just happened before you could do anything to stop them.

"Kenshin, if you're not going to listen to me, I just want you to consider one thing. What if you _did_ have the chance to go back and prevent all of this from ever happening? Would you take it? If you were able to stop yourself from making the decision to leave, in that one important moment, would you? Would you really give up everything that you've learned, everything you've been through, and everything you've done just to not have all of this happen now? Do you really want to pretend like none of that happened? Do you truly think that you would be happier, both now and then, if you had never left?"

Less than a foot away, Kenshin sighed softly and looked down at his hand lying along the side of the bed. It had been drenched in so much blood, and had been the cause of so much blood. Other people may simply see it as a body part they use regularly every day, and didn't think about its other uses. But for him it had been the source of so much pain, so much blood, so much death… leading to the deadliest thing of all.

It had been his choice to wield a katana for Katsura and his cause, but he could never have anticipated just what consequences wielding such a weapon could bring. He had never expected the blood, or the pain it caused him and other people as well. During their practices his uncle had allowed him to use a katana, but first he had made sure that Kenshin knew every move, both offensive and defensive, so well that he could perform them in his sleep. He had made sure that Kenshin knew what it meant to be a swordsman, and what suffering it could cause. The main teaching of Hiten was wielding a sword in order to protect the innocents that others would subdue into suppression. He had done what he had done under Katsura in order to insure a better future for their city and for the people living in it. Especially for the people who weren't able to fight themselves.

But, everything had gone terribly wrong.

At first he had been able to remember his purpose and why he was with the organization, not only when he was among others, but also when he was fighting.

But, after a few times out on missions he began to forget and all of the blood and death began to overwhelm him.

In the end he had performed the assassinations; there was no better word for them, simply because he knew they had to be done. It had become an endless routine he didn't know how to escape from, and one that he didn't know any other options to.

It had taken an impromptu rescue by his uncle for him to realize just how lowly and inhuman he had become.

After he had returned to a normal life he had desperately tried to forget everything that he had done as an assassin. Trying to forget the persona and deadliness he had created to cope with the missions. But, accomplishing this was just as hard as trying to be a normal teenager again. He couldn't remember how to.

His aunt and uncle had tried to help him. They did their best to reintroduce him into their daily lives, to be nearby if he needed them but also distancing themselves if need be. He was grateful to both of them for their continuous support, but he knew that his life could never be what it once was. There were times when his aunt and uncle looked at him, and didn't think he would notice the fear and surprise in their expressions. He knew he had changed, he knew he had nearly become a different person, and it didn't take long for him to realize that they didn't know how to act around him anymore. There were times when he felt like they were tiptoeing around him, treating him like a dangerous beast.

And maybe he was.

Two years later he still hadn't been able to distance himself from the part of himself that remained of his days as Battousai.

Although that part of him wasn't gone, he had been able to maintain his control. His temper and patience had been reigned in so that it took him longer to snap at people. After a while the arguments between him and his uncle had slowly come to a stop, although they continued to disagree about many things.

There were many times during that period when Kenshin did in fact wish that he had never joined Katsura. He knew that if he had chosen a different way to deal with his annoyance with his uncle, if he had simply confronted his uncle instead of running, then he would still be the innocent child of his past.

It was his entire fault for letting loose upon his life, and city, the danger that was Battousai.

He had known that even though he had returned to his former life, his past would still catch up to him somehow.

And now it had.

But, this time he had involved innocents. People who had no idea what real terror and danger might be in store for them. Who had no way of knowing just how little they could really trust him, or just how different he really was from their picture of him.

Except for Kaoru.

Although he hadn't meant to, she had seen part of himself that he wanted to keep hidden. By reading his journal, she had learnt the horrible deeds he had done as an assassin; deeds that he doubted even the finest person could forgive. Not that he was asking for forgiveness, or for someone to understand.

He only wanted to protect the people around him from what would happen now, and to protect them from himself.

He owed that city and its citizens that much at least.

"Kenshin?"

The boy sighed and reluctantly dragged himself away from those thoughts.

"Yeah?"

Kaoru hesitated. During the silence that followed her question she hadn't been able to see his expression, which meant she had no idea what he was thinking- causing her to believe that she had somehow hurt his feelings or angered him by asking. But, she knew that it was necessary for him to consider such things. He clearly blamed himself for everything, and she wanted to show him he didn't have to. Sometimes it might be healthy to blame yourself for your actions, but the amount of blame and loathing he had for himself wasn't natural. He didn't deserve to live with all of the burdens he placed on his own shoulders, even though he seemed to believe that he did deserve such a life. He was just that kind of person.

"What are you thinking about?"

The black haired girl started, not having expected him to speak. "Um, nothing really. Just thinking."

When she looked up, Kaoru found him sitting cross-legged on the bed only a few inches away from her. But what surprised her most was that he was actually meeting her eyes, her worried sapphire meeting pale violet.

"Kaoru, please. I would like for you to tell me what's on your mind," the soft request interrupted her brooding over him and his insistence of self- loathing.

She blinked at him, only half-hearing the words. "Sorry?"

"You're being awfully quiet; I simply wondered what you were thinking about."

The girl smiled and lightly shook her head, "it's really nothing Kenshin. I, I'm just worried about you." She looked down at her hands and began fiddling with them, "you always think the worst of yourself and, that's just not… normal. Regular people don't have the level of self-loathing that you seem to have. I mean, I understand that you feel like you have every right to feel that way. But, you don't really." Kaoru was tempted to glance up at him to gauge his reaction to her words, but she was also afraid of seeing his expression. "It's true that you've done some horrible things in your life, and you've gone through some horrible experiences that I could never relate to. But no matter what you've done, you're still a wonderful person. And I'm delighted that I've gotten the opportunity to spend time with you and get to know you as I have."

She unclasped her hands and slowly snaked her hand across the bed to gently place her hand over his. "I know you don't believe this, but you're a _good_ person Kenshin. A wonderful, amazing human being."

The boy quickly pulled his hands away from hers and placed them in his lap, staring down at them with emotionless eyes.

But, even though he had pulled away from her touch, he hadn't responded, which worried her.

She repeated herself quietly, leaning in towards him, "Kenshin, I'm not lying to you. I _wouldn_'_t_ lie to you. You _are_ a wonderful person, a _good_ person."

"Do you really believe that?"

Kaoru smiled at him, "yes, of course."

"If I'm such a wonderful person, then why did I kill all of those people? Why did I work as an assassin for so many years? Why did I allow myself to be used only for my skills, my _deadly_ skills? Why did it take me so long to realize that what I was doing was wrong? Why didn't I even think twice about everything I did during those years?"

His fists clenched in his lap, "I was a _killer_ Kaoru. I _killed _hundreds of people, maybe even thousands. And I only killed them because I was ordered to. Don't you understand Kaoru? I was a mindless murderer, I didn't even think about what I was doing. I didn't think about _killing_ people."

The woman blinked at him, surprised and confused by his words. She desperately wanted to protest and argue with him but, in the end she found that it was difficult for her to do so. In some way, in some odd way, his words made sense.

"Kenshin, none of that was your fault! You weren't yourself! You weren't _ thinking_ straight! I know that there's no way you would do any of that. You're too good of a person. You're not like that at _all_! You're not a _murderer!_" She said, raising her voice at her last attempt to try to explain that he was wrong about the terrible opinion he had of himself.

In response Kenshin's eyes grew cold, and finally he snapped, "Damn it Kaoru, why can't you understand this! You can say all those things, and pretend you know the truth…. But you don't. You haven't known me nearly long enough to be able to understand the reality behind what happened. You can say that I'm not really a murderer, or that I wouldn't do all of those things, or that I wasn't myself or whatever you want to say. But, none of that's true. Everyone has a dark piece within their heart that lets them do horrible things. That's how the worse criminals in our society come to be. Little by little they succumb to the darkness within their hearts until all that is left is that darkness and that ability to do horrible things. They forget their ability to do well, or to be a good person. And, that's how I was. I was so focused on my anger and irritation with Uncle that I was blind to the lies Katsura told me. I didn't see the dangers of agreeing to work with him, so I was reckless and jumped in without thinking. You have no clue just how much I resent and regret that decision. It was one of the biggest decisions of my life and I blew it. So much could have been different; _everything_ could have been different if only I had taken the time to _think_ about the consequences of what I was about to do. You don't know what it's like waking up everyday thinking about what would have happened if I had made a different decision, thinking about what would have happened if I had never left this house, thinking about what would have happened if my parents had never died, about what if….. About what if I had never even been born."

Kaoru stared at the red-haired teen throughout his entire speech, horrified by the self-loathing words her friend was saying, as well by the way his eyes had become pure gold, as cold and radiant as the sun. He seemed to have completely changed during his speech, transforming from the warm, distant boy she knew well to a fierce, cold-eyed boy who practically radiated anger and at the same time, grief. The way he was looking at her, leaning towards her with a cold gleam in his eyes while he spoke, truthfully it scared her. She had never seen him like this. But, as his voice drifted off on the last sentence he lowered his head to gaze intently at the hands cradled in his lap.

"Kenshin…." The girl whispered softly, sensing that his anger had passed somehow and had been replaced by sadness. She leaned slightly in towards him, reaching out to him with a hesitant hand in order to gently grasp his own. But at the last moment he flinched and pulled his hands further away from her, as well as turning completely so his back was to her.

"Don't… just leave me alone."

His voice came back to her in a whisper, spoken in such a sad tone that hurt her to hear.

"Kenshin, please!" She tried reaching out for him again, but he only moved further away.

Shaking his head the boy mumbled, "Why do you care? You shouldn't care! You shouldn't care!"

"Of course I care! Friends care for each other! I care about you!" Kaoru yelled at him angrily, slamming her fist down on the bed while she glared at him.

"Don't say that!" He snapped angrily, turning to glare at her with intense gold eyes. "You're lying! You don't care!" The boy leaned in towards her until their faces were only inches apart. "Just leave me alone! Get out of here!"

The girl tried one last attempt to convince him, "Kenshin, no matter what you say, no matter what you've done… I _do_ care about you. I care-"

"Shut up!" The red-haired teen yelled, clenching his fists. "Get out of here! Leave me alone!" He squeezed his eyes shut, his entire body tense.

"Kenshin."

He gestured wildly with his arm, nearly hitting her. "Leave me alone!"

Kaoru sighed and withdrew her hand, slowly standing up from the chair. "Fine, if you want me to leave so badly I'll leave!" She yelled.

The girl stomped across the room and paused in front of the door, swinging it wildly open to find Hiko standing a few feet away.

He turned to look at her oddly as she walked out of the room and slammed it loudly closed. Then, without saying a word she turned and stomped her way down the hall, ignoring everyone around her as they hurried to get out of the way of her warpath not seeing the tears streaming from her eyes.

* * *

Hello everyone! I apologize for not updating for a very long time (nearly a year apparently), but this year school took over my life in a very extreme way and refused to give it back until now. So here I am, on winter break, updating.

I apologize for any spelling or grammar errors you may find, my beta has been busy lately so I checked this myself.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll try to update before another year goes by.

One last thing, if anyone reads Brotherly Bonds as well I will most likely be updating it soon as well.

Please Read and Review! Reviews (of any kind) would be greatly welcome!

Merry (Belated) Christmas and Happy (almost) New Year!

-mijichan


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